Hate this, love you
by TrulyWished
Summary: Sequel to Shuffled chronicling Cat's growth. Still yaoi, not quite mpreg but follows baby of, some language of course, and the odd mention of sex. EnvyEd
1. Baby: one and a half months

Disclaimer: Of course, I own nothing.

Warnings: yaoi, fluff, slight angst

There is no real order, I'll post them as I write them. The chapter title will give an approximate age. Cat's about a month, month and a half here.

Baby #1

Envy paced the room, hands over his ears, and snarled at the door occasionally. Crying had been going on for over an hour already, with no signs of slowing down. The Runt was in there now, pacing and talking to her, but nothing worked. The little officer said it was probably colic and that they just had to tough it out. Damn it anyways.

He stomped to the door and down the hall to stand in the doorway and watch tears slid down pale cheeks. Violet blinked and he felt the anger disappear; Brat looked so helpless, he couldn't be mad. "Hey, gimme." Long hair shook and he paced more quickly. "Gimme."

"No. Go away, I can do it." He sniffed desperately. "I can, I can." He rocked his arms gently and whispered down until Envy walked over and pried his hands off the little bundle. "No, give her back, I can."

"You could, but now I'm going to." He shifted forms a few times and the screaming slowed a bit. "Get some sleep." Ed had been going steady, ignoring Cain's advice to take it easy, he was determined to get it right. Everything. As such, he was tired, crabby, and frustrated, and fought with Envy almost hourly.

"No, give her back! I can, I can." He suddenly dropped to his knees and his lover reached out to him only to have his hand slapped. "I hate this!" Heaving sobs shook the small frame and he fisted his hands on the floor, making little gouges with his metal fingers. "I hate this, I hate this! I didn't ask for this!" He screamed his frustration at the floor, sobbing heavily around the words.

Even Cat had stopped crying, shocked by the loud noises in her previously quiet life. Even during arguments, they kept their voices down, trying to be civil to each other. The tall brunette just looked at him for a minute before walking to the door. "Neither did I." A soft click separated them and Ed stared blankly at the door before screaming again.

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Jean stared at the ceiling; he hadn't realized a baby was quite this loud and with those two fighting again... A faint sigh and he started to sit up to go help but a small hand on his chest stopped him. Cain was standing over his cot, a finger to his lips. "Stay. I'm going to check on Envy and I'll be right back."

"Shouldn't we check on Ed? He's pretty worked up in there." As if the neighbors somehow couldn't hear him screaming his head off.

"No, leave him. He's been pushing too hard and now he's exhausted. He needs a good cry and it won't hurt anything. I'm just going to make sure Cat and Envy will be alright by themselves." Faint light from the hall showed the slim form slipping out the door.

A soft knock, barely audible and he opened the door to the mumbled "What?" The little girl was still crying and the brunette was shifting rapidly, trying to find something she liked. "Are you ok?"

A brief snarl. "Of course I am! Why wouldn't I be?" He started mumbling away to himself. "Stupid damn brat, thinks he's the only one tired, the only one who has to listen to this noise. Kick his ass if he ever stops crying, little bastard." He paced rapidly, circling the room in seconds.

"Envy, why don't you sit? You can rock and let her listen to your heartbeat; babies like that." A blanket was retrieved from the bed and draped invitingly over the rocking chair.

A quick glance up and a sharp grin. "My heart doesn't beat."

Cain's mouth opened and shut again. "It, doesn't?"

"No, why would it? It's a waste of energy. I can force it, but walking takes less effort and she likes it as much as anything else we tried." He continued pacing, slowing long enough to grab a blanket and wrap it around the small body like a sling.

Dark brown eyes stared at him, then glanced towards the nursery. "Did you tell Ed that?" A slim brow rose and long hair shook. "Maybe you should. He walks because you do and she's quieter for you. He's wearing himself down."

"I know that. But he hates us." Purple eyes didn't look up. "He doesn't want us around anymore." Pace, pace. "It's not fair; he decided all by himself to do this and now he doesn't want us anymore."

A firm hand brushed his shoulder; a soft touch, barely there. "That's not true. He adores you both. He's just tired and his stomach hurts; he's still working off the hormones too and is overly emotional." The touch was tolerated with a low growl. "Just be patient and give him time, it'll pass." The hand was withdrawn with a small smile and the brunette retreated. "Good night you two." A little grunt had him smiling back to the room he shared with Jean.

The blond was sitting up, waiting for him. "Are you sure we should just leave him?" Ed was still crying in the nursery.

"Yes. Let him get settled a bit and he'll go back to bed." They stayed up chatting until the sobs from across the hall stopped.

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Silence finally reigned and Envy stared down at the small body, still amazed that he'd actually made something this delicate. Well, helped make it, but close enough. The door squeaked open and he glanced up to see Ed sneaking in, eyes down. He was still scrubbing tear tracks off his face when he sat down beside them. "I'm sorry." A slender shoulder shrugged. "I am. I was just so frustrated and I want to help her stop too but I just can't walk that long. And" A pale hand waved at him.

"Doesn't matter. I'll take our stuff and go in the morning. You won't have to see us again." A soft murmur from the bundle in his arms and he rocked gently.

"Wh, what? Where are you going? You can't take her away!" A strong hand gripped his arm. "Please! I'm sorry, don't take her, you can't!"

"Be quiet. You hate us, so we'll leave. It's pretty simple." He glanced up and was a bit surprised to see tears running over the still red cheeks again. "What? Isn't that what you want?"

"No, no, please don't take her, don't go. I'm sorry, please." Blond hair trailed in his face, hiding his eyes as he sobbed against his hands. "I don't hate you, no, please." Wet hands fastened on a slim arm and clung tightly, jostling the baby.

"Aw, fuck." He sighed and stood to walk over to the chair as Cat started to wiggle a bit. "Well? Come on and quit crying already."

He handed the bundle over and sat, dragging the short man to sit in his lap. "Here. Little one says babies like to listen to your heartbeat. Mine doesn't, so I walk, but you can sit and rock, ok?" The blanket corner served to wipe at the wet marks while they rocked. "You don't hate us?" He was whacked on the nose with a flying ponytail. "Damn brat, be careful. Ok, then go to sleep. And no more crying!" A sleepy nod and the blond cuddled into his shoulder, nuzzling his neck until he fell asleep. Pale arms held him firmly and they rocked steadily.

A few hours later, the older man shifted his blond to the bed and slid the baby into his arms. Quiet steps took him downstairs to get a bottle Cain had left in the fridge and it heated quickly. He purred down at the little girl and she stared up at him; it was amazing to him that she could see him, recognize him, when a few weeks ago she hadn't been able to.

It was so easy to feed her, just put the bottle near and she'd go for it; really, Pest made it harder than it should be. He got all huffy and had to be sitting just right and hold the bottle at the perfect angle. Way too much effort. "Brat's hyperactive, isn't he, Cat-cat?" She burbled at him around her dinner. "Not like me, I'm calm and easy to be with, right?" He took the little spit bubble to be agreement. "Yeah, I am pretty good at this, aren't I?" A bright grin and the baby smiled back at him, her eyes flickering. His voice lowered to a whisper. "That is pretty cute, you know." His nose scrunched at her and she waved her arms. "Just wait; when you're bigger, I'll teach you all about changing and we'll harass the Pest. Bet we can make him panic; he looks awfully funny when he hyperventilates."

He settled into a chair and tossed his hair over the back. "You'll love this one. He was trying to find me at the bar and picked up some guy; real big fucker too, broad through the shoulders, looked like he bench pressed cars. Anyways, Brat picks him up by mistake and takes off. Guess he just couldn't wait until he got home, I caught up to them in some alley. This big guy is groping the hell out of him and you know what Brat says? 'Change, k? I don't like this one.' Funniest. Thing. Ever. That guy must have thought he was completely insane. Not that it stopped him, he just grunted and kept going. So Pest is standing there, shoved against the wall under this guy he can't hope to beat, shirt half off and pants undone, and suddenly, he realizes, it's really not me. The look on his face was absolutely priceless; I'd never eat another piece of candy if I could see that again." Soft laughter and slim fingers waved over the dark head, teasing little hands. "Oh fuck, that was a great night. He was so grateful to see me, he almost cried. Damn he treated me good for the next month." A silly grin widened his mouth and he stared at the wall for a minute. "Yeah, that was great. But then he had to set up rules. Stupid ones too, like I have to change my eyes if he asks me and a time limit for him to find me." Contented cooing came from his arms.

"Hey, you should go to sleep. Little one said you have to sleep lots. He said something else about feeding too. Watch the temperature, sit you up fairly straight, let you stop when you want, be quiet and don't scare you, which I think applies all the time, but whatever. What else did he say? Damn it." Small whines started and the baby kicked a little. "Yes, yes, I know! Something, something, what the fuck was it?" She kicked more and started to fuss more loudly. He held her up and stared at her face. "I can't wait until you can talk." A loud burp and milk and spit slid down her chin and sprayed over his chest. Violet stared disbelievingly at her then at his wet front. "Did you just throw up on me?" A happy giggle answered him. "You did! That is, that's just, urgh!" The white mess slid down his stomach when he stood and he shuddered, still holding the baby away from him. "That is disgusting."

His steps echoed in the hall as he hit the top floor and stalked to the room the officers shared. A few solid kicks and the door opened to show a sleepy blond rubbing his eyes. "What? It's like three am. It can't be that important." The happy bundle was shoved at him and he took it by reflex. "What?" Cain appeared behind him, peeking under his arm to see what was wrong.

"Envy, is everyth… Oh. We'll take her, you go get cleaned up." The homunculus snorted at him and stomped off to the bathroom. The bedroom door shut quickly and both men leaned on it. "Did you see that?" The smaller started to laugh softly.

"Man, was that what I think it was?" The blond laughed and looked down at the cooing baby. "You have got some nerve, little missy. I don't think there's anyone or thing that has barfed on him and survived." They looked at each other and started laughing harder until Cain sank to the floor, holding his sides, Jean leaning on him for support.

"We better get her to bed." Tears were wiped away and he peered into the hall, making certain the slim brunette wasn't out there. "Ok, clear. Let's be quick." They darted across the hall and settled Cat in her crib. She was asleep almost instantly and they snuck out again, snickering to each other.

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Yeah, that is a particular adventure I had with a friend's baby. I knew there was something I was forgetting and I remembered. Just in time to get spit all down my back when I forgot a towel. I would be a great mom, really. I can so see Envy forgetting something like that.


	2. Baby: six months

Disclaimer: Owning FMA would be a great dream, but simply not possible.

Warning: yaoi, mpreg sequel, discussions of sex, separation anxiety

Baby: 6 months

Dark hair swung as the slim form stalked through the house. The walls seemed much too small to contain the energy vibrating through him and he cracked his knuckles, back, neck, anything he could move. His hands flexed and his steps bounced a bit, shapes shifting randomly.

"Envy, stop it!" There, the source of this unused energy. Ed was standing in the door, holding the baby. His hair was wild, the tie barely keeping the largest part back, never mind the bangs or little tendrils escaping. His cheeks were still wet; he'd just stopped crying, seemingly in time with the little girl. "You're upsetting her."

"Am not." He paced more, shifting with each step. "Come to bed."

"No, I'm trying to get Cat to sleep." He made faces down at her and bounced a bit.

"Just put her down. She'll go to sleep on her own." Purple eyes narrowed at the blond. "Come to bed."

A deep sigh and the older man glared more. "What is with you? If you want to go to bed that badly, go. I'll be there later."

"No, I want you to come with me." Gold stared at him, then narrowed dangerously.

"This is about sex again, isn't it? I'm TIRED, Envy, I just don't have the energy." A faint growl and they stood glaring at each other.

"Well, if you'd put her down, you wouldn't be tired. Come on, it's been months!" He stalked over to use his height to intimidate his partner. "Your stomach isn't even sore anymore."

"And how would you know?" The shorter man fumed up, not intimidated in the least.

A grab was made for the baby but she was moved and kept out of range. "I can't smell blood or healing skin anymore, so you must be fine. Give."

"No. I have to hold her a bit more." Cat started to fuss, kicking and whimpering. "Damn it, now look what you did."

"Me? Just put her down. That's all you do anymore, hold that kid. She's gonna be a wimp if you don't let go." The blond ignored him, cooing to their daughter. "Fine. You can beg whenever you decide you want to get laid."

"Oh, fuck you, Envy." The metal hand waved at him and he stalked to the door.

"I'm trying!" The door slammed behind him and he heard Cat start to cry. He stood in the hall, head pressed to the door and listened. When she stopped and he went back to their room, the bed mocked him, all fluffy blankets and soft pillows.

A burst of absolute rage shook his thin frame and he dragged the blankets off and shredded a pillow, swearing in all six languages. Feathers floated around his head and he panted, not because he needed to but because it made him feel better. Casual grace flopped him on the floor and he rolled in the blankets and feathers, thinking. An idea made him smile and he curled in a ball to sleep.

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'Why is the phone ringing?' was the first thought through the blond's head, followed by, 'What time is it?'

The clock provided an answer to the second question: 7:32 am. A darkly tanned hand rubbed brown eyes tiredly; they'd stayed up late last night, because he didn't have to work today and could sleep in. Theoretically. He fumbled a bit with the receiver and finally got it settled to his ear. "Hello?"

"You, Brat's brother. Come over here and look after the baby."

"What? Envy, where's Ed?" No one else could be that rude.

"In there, sleeping. We're leaving the baby alone, so you have to come look after it." A faint groan from beside him and he patted the little blond lump.

"Why are you leaving the baby alone?" An annoyed sigh from the other end of the line answered him. "I'm not moving until you tell me."

Silence and he waited patiently. He really couldn't lose this kind of battle, not with Envy. "Fine. Pest just cries all day and wanders around holding Cat-cat. I want to do something else."

Al thought for a minute, mentally skimming their schedule for the day. "Alright, we'll come over in the afternoon, IF" He took a deep breath; it was always so hard to move forward with his brother's partner. "You call me and Winry by name, starting now until we leave tonight."

Silence, then a suspicious voice. "That's it? Call you by name all day and you won't claim I owe you anything later?" The blond made affirmative noises. "Huh." The homunculus thought about it for a second. "Ok. Be here at one." A sharp click and Al placed the phone on its hook.

The mound of blankets spoke. "Who was that?"

"Envy. Guess Ed's wearing himself down pretty badly now that Cain and Jean are gone. He wanted us to go baby-sit for the day. I said yes." He was shrugged at and she wiggled deeper in the covers. "Hey, share!" He attacked, quick fingers tickling down soft sides, giggles muffled in pillows.

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"Envy, get the door!" Ed shook his hair out, toweling quickly. The doorbell rang again and he stuck his head out of the bathroom. "Envy!" Still nothing. "Well, Missy, guess we'll just have to get it ourselves." He tied the still damp hair back loosely and swung the six month old into his arms.

"Coming!" He bounced down the steps; Envy had actually been right, a bath did make him feel better. And the new clothes waiting for him when he got out had been nice too. "Who is it?" The door opened and he blinked at the blond pair. "Hello, what are you doing here?" He stepped back and let them in before shutting the door. "Did we have plans?" He didn't remember anything, but he might have forgotten, he had been awfully tired lately.

"Hey, Brother. We're here to look after Cat for you; Envy ca" A white streak flashed by them and Ed stood, his arms still in the form of the baby but empty.

"CAT!" He took off, following the heavy steps. "Get back here, what are you doing!" They circled the house, the blond falling a bit behind.

Through the kitchen, around the living room, back to the hall and outside where he finally caught up and snapped an arm around the slim waist. His partner whirled around and wrapped his arms around the smaller form, capturing him firmly. "Where's Cat!"

Ed fought, kicking and trying to free his arms while looking around for their little one. She couldn't have gone far, he's only lost sight of them for a second at the hall. "Brother! Calm down, she's right here."

His eyes turned to the door where the younger blonds stood, holding a little blanket wrapped bundle. "Cat!" The kicking intensified and he bit the shoulder just within reach.

The brunette jerked back and loosened his grip just enough for the blond to break free. He raced over and grabbed his daughter, snuggling her close. "Well, fuck. What'd ya give 'er back for?"

Envy stomped back to the door and glared at Al, ignoring the shorter blond sending him death threats with his eyes. "Ah, he wanted her?" The tallest blond considered maybe that wasn't the right choice.

"You leave him alone! What were you thinking, running around like that? And what did Al mean when he said you called and he's looking after Cat? I'm not going anywhere." Violet eyes narrowed at him and he glared back.

"Yes, we are. We are going somewhere else. You're obsessed with her!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!" The taller man folded his arms and pouted. "You never want to do anything anymore."

"Envy, we're parents, we have to be responsible. We can't just take off when we want to!" He didn't notice Winry sneaking up beside him until she peered over his arm and sparkled at the little girl, who cooed back.

"Aww, look, she likes me! Let me hold her." Darker blond shook and she reached for her side. He cringed, the bundle was handed over, and she scooted behind Al. "K, take him."

"Wha… Winry!" His arms were already pinned to his sides and he was held at arm's length. No second chances for biting.

"Brother, maybe you should take a break. We don't mind every once and a while, and you do look a bit tired. Go have fun." His brother, the traitor, made little shooing motions with his hands.

"No, Cat! Give her back, I have to look after her!" He was hefted over a slim shoulder and a firm hand on his ass reminded him that biting as still not allowed.

"You, gimme Pest's coat." A pale brow rose at him and they stared at each other. "Alphonse, gimme Pest's coat." The jacket was held out silently and draped over the free arm.

"You can call me Al, you know." A faint grunt and he sighed. "Fine, have fun! We can be here until around eight. See you then." Winry waved Cat's hand at them and Envy turned and carried his wriggling burden down the path, ignoring the whines and grabbing hands.

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By the time they got the park, the blond was subdued and lay still, not even flinching when he was set on a bench. His coat was wrapped around him and Envy settled beside him, arm over his shoulders. They were silent for a long time, staring blankly at the sky.

"Why? I want to be with Cat. She needs me." Neither moved.

"Why? Why did you want me to stay? I'm not allowed to hold her unless you're too exhausted to fight me, you don't want to spend time with me, I apparently can't clean or cook decently. Why am I even here?" His eyes shifted a few times but otherwise, he stayed still, looking up.

Ed turned to look at him. "Be, because you're her father! You should be here, with us! You said you would, so now you have to!"

A dark brow moved up and down. "Huh." His eyes turned a bit to meet the blond's. A small hand was clenched in his shirt, clinging to him. "You have to share more. Not everything is your responsibility. Unless you don't think I can do it?" Long bangs shook quickly.

"Of course I think you can do it! I, I just, she's mine and I want to look after her." He pressed his head tentatively to a slim shoulder. "I'm sorry, I, I'll try to spend more time with you." Soft hair was ruffled and his lover stood and tugged him to his feet.

"Come for lunch with me?" An invitation this time, instead of an order. A bright, if tired, smile answered it. "What do you think? Girl?" He shifted to his pretty redhead. "Or boy?" The military brunette appeared and grinned down at the smaller man.

"I dunno, you buying? Cause then it has to be a guy." Teasing gold watched the brown eyes light with laughter. "Boy it is. Well, come on, take me for lunch!"

The younger man snuggled under a long arm and pressed to the smooth side. "Hey, have I really been that picky?" Dark hair nodded at him and he pressed even closer. "I'm sorry, I'll try not to be so hard on you. I know you try hard."

"Meh, whatever." He steered them into a side door and down a steep flight of stairs.

"Where, hey, is this? Wow, we haven't been here in years. Hasn't changed much, has it?" It was a dimly lit room, only a dozen tables, tattered linoleum floors and walls that had the heavy discoloration of regular exposure to heavy smoke clouds. They used to come here often, during their second year together but Ed was busy, then pregnant and they hadn't been back since.

"Well, well, Edward Elric. Decided you weren't too good for us anymore, huh?" smiling woman came around the bar and hugged the smaller form. "It's been a while."

"Hey, Susan. Yeah, we've been pretty busy lately. But, hopefully we'll be back a bit more often. What's on tonight?"

"Oh, you're in for it now. My girl's trying out the kitchen." Both men's eyes widened and they peeked back at the door. "Oh, come now. Give the girl a chance; it can't be that bad, I taught her."

"True, true, best cook in the country can't have taught poor skills." Envy grinned at her and she blushed and swatted his arm.

"Oh, you two! Go sit, I'll have some tea in a minute. Tess, two up!" They settled into a corner table and Envy slid his chair around to sit beside Ed.

They chatted quietly until two bowls of stew appeared and they relaxed into eating something they hadn't cooked themselves. "I'm still not sleeping with you."

The spoon halted halfway to the brunette's mouth. "What? Why not? Even you have to sleep." Red flashed over high cheeks. "Oh. Ok. You're too tired."

"You're not mad?"

"Will you if I am?" Blond shook at him with a smile. "Then no. I guess if you don't want to, you don't want to. Not like I'll make you."

A small hand reached over and squeezed the older man's. "Thank you. I'll try to sleep a bit more." A tiny smile. "Promise." An answering grin spread over the paler face. "You have the highest sex drive I've ever run across."

"Just because I don't like going months at a time without…" A blond brow rose at him.

"Excuse me, who almost got us kicked out of dorm? The guys actually had a pool as to when the manager would give us the boot." He smirked at the memory. "I won that too, because he never did."

"That would be you and your screaming. Not my fault I'm just that good." He smirked back, then thought of something. "Hey, I should get half that. The only reason he didn't was 'cause I didn't kick his ass for watching."

Ed's entire face flooded with red. "Watching?"

"Yeah, didn't you know?" The mortified blond shook his head. "Oh, yeah, he had a little hole drilled in the ceiling, his floor."

His lover set his spoon down and hid his face in his hands. "I can't believe this. He was watching us? And you knew about it?" He looked up briefly. "Why didn't you say anything?"

Dark eyes blinked at him. "Why? Didn't bother me, would have bothered you, and it kept you with a place to live." A quick shrug and he continued eating. "I figured you would find out eventually on your own. Guess not."

Ed just put his head down and groaned.

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Hours later, they finally left. A long walk through the park and a quick nap in Envy's favorite tree and it was almost six thirty. Ed was dancing around nervously, his arms moving up as if to hold a small bundle and his lover rolled his eyes. He had stopped him from calling a dozen times and now the blond could barely hold still.

"Fine. We'll go back." Mismatched arms hugged him tightly and he kissed long hair. Fingers tangled as they wandered back, only letting go when the house was in sight. Ed ran ahead and darted up to the nursery, where Winry was rocking and feeding the little girl.

By the time Envy got home, the blond was firmly settled, babbling all about how much he missed her and how much he loved her. Al and Winry were seen to the door by the older man and the youngest leaned on the frame. "Well?"

A dark brow rose in question. "What?"

"How did it go? And, do you have something to say to us?"

"Everything was fine, we had lunch and went for a walk." His nose pointed upwards and he folded his arms.

"Come on, Envy. Just once, and I won't even tell Ed." An annoyed snort. "You know, we might be too busy to come over next time." The homunculus watched him, evaluating the validity of his threat.

He decided it might be real and a temporary retreat would be in order. "Brat appreciates you helping." Al's head tilted and he waved a bit; slightly pointed teeth ground together. "As do I, Alphonse and Winry."

"You are most welcome. Call us anytime, we're always happy to help." Winry grabbed Al's arm and started dragging him home. "Bye!" They were half way down the street before she let him go. "Don't tease him like that. It's so unlike you."

A cocky grin and he wrapped his arm around her waist. "Nope, have to. Every now and then, someone has to make sure he is capable of basic manners." Blue rolled at him as a kiss dropped on the top of her head.

"Pest?" The door was open and he stuck his head in. "Are you coming to" They were asleep, both of them curled in the rocking chair. "Really. What a pain." Cat was lifted away, careful not to wake her, and set in her crib, her favorite chew toy, aka stuffed panda, beside her.

His blond was lifted up and carried to bed; he was pleased to see someone had put the blankets back on the bed. He was even generous enough to let lighter hair cover the remaining pillow and curled around the sleeping man, head propped on his arm. A few shifts and he took a small form to snuggle more efficiently and drifted off, hoping for a night without interruptions.

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Yay, another one! Wow, I can't believe how much I'm writing these days, bouncing around between exams, studying, cleaning the house, and trying to get ready for Xmas. But, I'm gone now, so have good holidays and I'll see you when I get back.


	3. Baby: seven months

Yay, another little bit! Go me! Ok, yeah, that was uncalled for. However: Thank you to everyone who reviewed, and to everyone who is waiting patiently for me to get organized.

Disclaimer: no owning fma here, which is a real shame, cause I bet the royalties would just about fund my university.

Warnings: yaoi, sequel to mpreg, mentions of sex (does this fit a lime? I have no idea.)

Baby: about seven months

Dark hair flopped over the pillow and darker eyes stared at the ceiling; faint crying could be heard in the next room and he could just make out the barefoot steps pacing the room. 'Damn brat.' Ed had banished him from the room in a fit of pique. It was just a bottle, not like it couldn't be fixed!

Eventually, the cries quieted and Envy rolled to face the wall, drifting slowly into sleep. Weight on the edge of the bed announced Ed's presence and a small hand touched his shoulder hesitantly. "Hey." An indistinct sound from the brunette. "Still awake?"

"Not really." He rolled a bit and lay on his back, looking at the blond. "What do you want?" Maybe not the most welcoming question, but it was three am and he'd barely slept yet tonight.

Pink moved in the soft cheeks. "Oh, um, well, I'm not really tired right now." The older man could make out the wide eyes watching him but not their expression.

"Well, I am. You're such a pain in the ass." He rolled and curled in his blanket, ignoring the blond behind him. "Just go to sleep."

"Oh." A soft whisper, barely audible; a hint of a sniffled drifted under the word. "Ok. I'm, going to check on Cat."

"What? You just came from there." Quick steps didn't pause and the door shut quietly but not before a small sob was heard. What the hell? Envy was fairly certain he was in the wrong, yet again. It usually ended up being his fault when Ed cried, even if he had no idea what had happened.

And yes, he knew he was a bit more snarky than usual, but it had been nearly eight months since he got laid, or any kind of fooling around even, because Pest always too tired. Wait, too tired, and he said he wasn't tired tonight; Oh Shit. The first interest the other man had shown in sex since Cat was born and he was mean about it.

The homunculus hopped up and darted around to peek into the baby's room; no sign of his blond. A soft cry from across the hall and he opened the door to see Ed curled on the spare bed, sobbing into the pillow. "Pest, come to bed."

"No. I'll stay here." A heavy sigh and the dark-haired man moved over to sit beside his sobbing lover and pet his hair. "I'm sorry, I'm trying, and I just need more TIME, please, please don't be mad, please don't leave." Mismatched arms clung tightly to the slim waist, pleading as loudly as his words.

Quiet shushes and the slim hand moved over long, messy bangs. "I'm not mad. And I'm certainly not leaving. Why would you think that?" Purple narrowed and a slim finger jabbed the soft side. "It better not be about that prick taking off; I thought we already decided I wasn't like that."

Sniff. "I'm sorry, I'm, I know you won't, I KNOW it, I just can't help it. Especially when you get mad and don't want me around." Another sigh and the pale body stretched out beside him, fingers combing long bangs. Ed sniffled into the slim chest and murmured apologies.

"I'm not mad, and I do want you around. If I didn't, wouldn't I just say so?" A wet nod and he tilted the round face up to kiss the reddening nose. "Don't cry. I was tired and didn't understand what you wanted." Little kisses brushed over the upturned cheeks, licking away tear tracks. "What are you trying, Brat? You said you needed more time."

Red bloomed and the blond tired to look away. "I, I thought maybe you didn't want me anymore. Cause I'm still fat and" He cut off to sniff some more, fighting tears while his lover rocked him. "I'm trying to lose it, really I am, and it's going away, I just need more time.

"You are not fat. Still soft but it'll pass; it's cute." Gentle fingers pushed blond bangs out of the swollen eyes. "Your body has nothing to do with how much I want you." The pert nose was poked and scrunched under the assault. "But, I would appreciate it if you didn't sit around all day and eat candy, that might have an effect."

He laughed at the sputtering and denials. "I do not sit around all day! I work hard taking care of Cat!" A solid push and the homunculus leaned further over him, forcing his arms to bend.

Quick tickling and they rolled over the bed, fighting for position. "See?" The slim body rubbed firmly against the more solid one, letting his erection press to the still soft stomach. "I still like you." His fingers slid over gently curved sides and pressed in, feeling the solid muscle underneath while he nuzzled the long line of the blond's neck. "Do you want to come to bed yet?"

"You really want me? Not just to make me feel better?" Dark hair hit his chest in defeat.

"Now listen here. I don't do things I don't want to, and I especially don't do pity fucks." Sharp teeth attacked the soft skin near a dark nipple, leaving a little red mark. "I think you look fine, feel pretty decent too." Slim hips swiveled and pressed close. "Of course, I could fix it for you. I'll just cut every extra ounce you've gained off. How about it?" Violet glowed and pointed teeth grinned down at the quickly shaking blond head. "Fine, quit your bitching and hold still."

The pink tongue flicked over full lips and Ed swallowed and pushed a little. "Envy, I don't really feel like it right now."

"Oh no, not after offering. You are putting out right now." White teeth grazed an earlobe before moving down the smaller man's chest and stomach. "No choice, so hold still and let me enjoy you."

Ed rolled his eyes, gasped, and tangled his hands in the long hair. He'd have to change the sheets it the morning and do more laundry and… The thought was cut off by a gasp from a particularly sharp nip. "Oi, pay attention when I'm fucking you." Gold laughed down and gentle hands tugged his lover up to kiss. "Fuck, I'm gonna get a complex or some shit if you keep that up."

"Sorry, En. I was paying attention, and I'll pay closer mind from now on." A muttered threat and the older man slid down the smaller body again, teasing and flicking his fingers over darker sides, bringing laughter to mix with the gasps and moans.


	4. Baby: eight months pt1

Disclaimer: Of course, I own nothing.

Warnings: yaoi, fluff

Part one of two. Chapter escaped my set page limit. Still does but oh well. I tried. Izumi gets to meet Cat.

Baby: 8 months

More crying. Oh fuck, she won't stop crying. "Please, baby, please stop crying." Cat just screwed up her face and screamed louder and he cringed when Envy came into sight, and leaned on the door.

"Can't you do something about her?" A pale hand rubbed purple eyes; he was just as exhausted as the blond.

"I'm trying, ok? I don't know what's wrong. She's not wet, hungry, cold, anything!" He cuddled and rocked as calmly as he could. His hair was a mess, streaming in his eyes and he swiped at it in frustration.

A loud sigh had him glaring at the door. "Why don't you just call the little one? He'll know what to do." Cain and Jean had moved out a few months ago, leaving the two fathers with a five month old baby and instructions to call if they ran into trouble.

"No, dammit. This is our baby, we can do it." He rocked some more and chatted softly at her. Slim arms wrapped around his waist and joined his in holding the little girl.

"Pest, you should call. You haven't slept for a week, you're turning an interesting shade of green and I don't particularly want to be left with a screaming brat." His hair was grabbed and clutched by a tiny fist and he flinched back a little. "It doesn't make you a bad parent." The smaller form in his arms stiffened and shook a little. Another deep sigh. "Give her to me; go to bed." The protest was cut off by his mouth and the blond was distracted enough to relinquish his hold on the baby. A firm slap on the ass and he stumbled back to bed, too exhausted to argue.

"Now. What am I going to do with you?" A brief jostling as he shifted her around to sit on his hip. "You missy, are loud. The little one never said you would be this loud. Probably so I wouldn't take off." He grinned down at her and she went silent, staring at his teeth in fascination. "Hmm, like that, huh? Well, let's see, what else do you like?" A shift and she giggled, playing with his hair. Another shift and a little flare of green light made him blink. Instead of his dark haired baby, he was holding a little redhead. "Well, this is interesting." His eyes changed and hers matched them, shifting from brown to green to purple. They played, experimenting with eye and hair color for a while. "Let's try something harder." He set her down on the floor and curled around her, shifting to a small dragon form.

Cat babbled at him and patted his scales but made no effort to change. He shifted color and she followed; her hair and eyes turning a deep green. Deep rumbling signaled his laughter and she shrieked and kicked happily.

"Ok, now that you're quiet, better put you to sleep or the Runt will be after me for letting you stay up all night." His favorite redhead rocked the baby against her chest, cooing softly with the noises he'd heard Cain using. Not that he would admit to listening or copying. Fussing gradually slowed and finally quit, drifting into quiet almost snores. 'Finally.'

He set her down and snuck out, partially closing the door, and tiptoeing to the room he shared with Ed. Once the door was closed behind him, he relaxed and flopped on the bed. The blond snuffled into his shoulder and tried to crawl on him. "Hey, off!" Indistinct mumbling and he was clutched even more tightly. 'Fine. Damn brat.' He curled around the small form and ran a hand through tangled hair. 'Have to make sure he gets a bath tomorrow.' was his last thought before he slid under.

A crash in the kitchen had him on his feet and half down the stairs before he was even awake. "What the fuck was that?" Ed was standing with Cat on one arm, resting his head on the other. A plate was on the floor in pieces and he looked like he was crying. "Pest?" A sniffle was his only response. 'Fuck.'

"Here. Sit down. Cut yourself?" Blond shook mutely. "Hey, Cat-cat, what's goin' on? Hungry?" She babbled happily at him and reached for his hair; he shifted before she could get to it, earning an annoyed noise. "Can't feed you if you have me tied down." A quick tickle and she laughed again, kicking her feet happily. A new plate was made up in seconds and he put it on the table; a few different kinds of mashed fruit and some cereals were her favorites.

Ed just watched, dark circles under his eyes, the usual bright gold dull. By the time the baby was settled in her chair, he had grabbed a spoon and selected a bit of fruit for the first bite. His voice was hoarse and tired, even around his smile. "Hey, sweetie. Want a bite?" She took it easily and promptly spit it all out again. It was patiently wiped up again and another bit was tried. A few bites later, she was eating a little and the blond's shoulders relaxed. "Good girl. Cereal?"

His lover cleaned up the broken dish and started working on the kitchen, chatting softly while he worked. He was smiled at for the first time all week and grinned back. When they were finished, he set some breakfast for them on the table as well. "Want to see something fun?" A blond brow rose at him in question as the blond plowed his way through a bowl of cereal and a few pieces of toast. "Come here, girly." She stared at him as he changed and laughed, imitating him effortlessly. Ed dropped his toast and choked briefly.

Cough. "Since when" Cough, cough. "Since when can she do that?" The homunculus shrugged at him and grinned at their daughter, tapping her nose with a slim finger. "Is it ok that she can do that? I mean, it might cause trouble later."

"Well, what do you want to do about it? Not like I make her do it." Which was technically true; he hadn't given her any more stones since she was born.

"I guess. Let me have her, ok?" She was handed over without a fuss and cuddled quietly, smiling up at her blond father. They moved to the living room where Cat played in the blanket nest while Ed cleaned a little, tidying up the room and folding laundry.

Envy snuck in an hour later to find the blond leaning against the couch, fast asleep, and the baby in a blanket, also fast asleep. He whispered, as much to himself as Ed. "Damn brat, you gotta sleep more."

He shifted to a serpentine form and draped himself around them until the phone rang. He was up and on it before it could ring again. "What?"

"Who is this?" A woman's voice came through, firm and authoritative.

He leaned his hip on the counter. "What's it to ya?" He had all day to play this game, and it would be a welcome diversion from the boredom of chores. Not that he really did them or anything.

"Where is Edward?" A train could be heard in the background and the rush of people.

"Sleeping. Who are you?" An idle hand trailed over the dishes and started water running. Just for the Brat when he got up.

"Give me your address; we'll be there in an hour." The water turned off and soap was added. Why didn't it ever foam for him?

"Hmmm, no. Tell me who you are. Maybe we don't want you here." A bowl was wiped and rinsed; he needed one anyways. It was set aside and another picked up. Needed that one too.

"Who are you? I heard that idiot of a pupil of mine got himself knocked up somehow." A plate slipped to the floor with a crash. Shit, it was her.

"I'm the father of that child and you are not fucking welcome here." The phone slammed down, a small crack appearing on the handset.

A sleepy murmur from the door drew his attention and he tried to calm down. "Who was that? What's wrong?"

"Pest. If that woman shows up, she leaves, got it? She is not allowed anywhere near Catherine." Ed frowned at him and moved around him to clean up the broken plate with a clap.

"Who? What woman?" A pale hand made a sharp cutting motion.

"She leaves, no excuses. If I see her here, I will kill her." Ed nodded slowly and held out a hand to be tugged to his feet.

"Ok." His gaze moved past him to the sink. "Oh! Thank you." He leaned up and pressed a quick kiss to his lover's mouth. Amethyst eyes turned back to see he had washed all the dishes and set them out to dry. 'How did that happen?' It was shrugged off to see the happiness on the blond's face.

Three hours later, the doorbell rang and Ed yelled for Envy to get it from upstairs, where he was supposed to be having a bath. "Blah, blah, get the door yourself." It was almost ripped off its hinges opening and slammed shut again. "Fuck off. I said you aren't allowed here."

"Open this door, young man. And tell that little idiot to get his ass down here." His mouth opened to tell her off again and Ed appeared at the top of the stairs holding Cat.

"Who is it?" He frowned as he came down and handed the baby off to his partner before opening the door, ignoring the protests. "T t t teacher! What, ah, what are you doing here?" He licked his lips nervously and backed away, shoving Envy in the other direction. "Ah, how did you find us? I, I mean, um, you should have called! Yeah, you should have called, we could have been ready to have you over. The house is a bit of a mess and" He ducked a flying foot and came up in time to get hit with a solid fist.

"We did call. I heard you got pregnant. Now, I assume that was in error and you got some poor girl pregnant. And, I didn't get an invitation to the wedding, so either you snubbed me or you didn't marry her." She cracked her knuckles threateningly. "Both of which are punishable by a beating." The blond shook his head and climbed to his feet.

"No, you heard right." Her foot whipped through the air again and he dodged back, waving for Envy to stay away. "There was an accident and we found out a few months later. Her name is Catherine Jamila and she's pretty sweet. Looks like her other dad and has his lungs too." He grinned and the attacks slowed.

"You're serious." He nodded and grinned some more. One last smack to the head and she stopped, brushing her hands. "We aren't done. Where is this sweet little girl?" The little alchemist looked around but didn't see his partner or baby. Sig pointed upstairs silently.

"I'll be right back, come in, living room is on the left, kitchen on the right." He bounded up the stairs. "Envy? Where are you?" The nursery door was locked. "Hey, open up, k? It's just me." Nothing. A quick clap and the lock turned. They were sitting in the second rocking chair, the larger still in their room, and his lover had switched to a small blond woman. "Hey, what's wrong?" Blue eyes looked up at him and slender arms tightened a bit around the sleeping bundle but relaxed when a small sound of protest slipped out.

"She can't have her. She's mine." Ed knelt in front of the little blond and took her hands.

"No one is taking her away. Why would you think Teacher would take her?" He tried to pry them off the sleeping bundle without success.

"You saw what she did to Wrath. She's not allowed near Cat-cat; she's crazy." A brief snarl twisted the pretty features. "I'll kill her first."

Gold closed and he hung his head. "Look, what she did was wrong, but she was sorry when she found out. She just didn't know, ok? Doesn't make it right, but forgivable." His thumbs rubbed little circles on thin wrists. "She would never do it again, certainly not to our baby girl. I wouldn't let her even if she did want to." He stared into rapidly changing eyes. "Trust me?" Silent staring at each other was followed by a tight nod. His weight shifted back and up to standing and he smiled softly at his lover. "Come down? They'd really like to see her. If you want, I won't let her go, I'll just tell them she doesn't like people."

White flashed as she chewed her bottom lip and skin flickered in indecision. Finally, Cat was handed over and she stood and shifted to the brunette he liked to use around the base. Wide shoulders rolled and his neck cracked before he led the way to the door and followed the blond out and down the stairs.

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What can I say? Envy would deny doing chores until he died; much too domestic. And, I'm only familiar with the anime, manga is coming for Christmas, so that's the universe I like to stick with. Oh, and I use the pronoun for whichever form Envy is in at the moment, I know it gets a littel confusing sometimes.


	5. Baby: eight months pt2

Disclaimer: Of course, I own nothing.

Warnings: yaoi, fluff

Part two of two. I just write too much.

Baby: 8 months

Energetic clanging from the kitchen drew them in to see Izumi busily making what appeared to be a soup of some kind and Sig watching from the table. "There you are. You aren't eating well, you look skinny. Makes you weak. You need healthy food so you can at least not shrink, Ed." She ran her eyes over the tall shape behind the blond. "Huh. So you're the rude brat from this morning. What exactly do you have against me?" The slim nose pointed up and he sniffed at her, refusing to speak. "Well, let's see this girl of yours."

She was held out and blinked sleepily up; Ed was grateful her eyes didn't start changing. "Not bad, bit small, isn't she?"

"No, she is not. She's growing quickly and is perfectly healthy for her age." Blond tendrils stood on end and he cuddled her close. "She's just fine."

"Well? What's her name? No manners." Strong fingers drifted gently over the soft cheeks and brushed dark hair.

"Catherine Jamila Elric." He glanced over his shoulder and pleaded with his eyes; a short, jerky nod and he smiled brightly. "Would you like to hold her?" A pleased smile and she took her, cradling her expertly and chatting a bit.

Envy moved forward to stand beside his partner and watch closely. Silence reigned except for the murmurs from the martial artist. Suddenly she stopped talking and stared down. "Edward."

"Ah, yes, Teacher?" He shifted a bit and started forward to take his daughter back.

Her glare froze him in place. "What is this thing?" He licked his lips and glanced at the little girl, whose hair and eyes were changing as she waved her hands at the long mini braids. "Did you try it again?"

"No! No, she was born that way, it's her talent. Ah, you haven't been introduced to her other father, have you? Teacher, Izumi Curtis, this is Envy." She stared at him and Envy in horror as the homunculus shifted through a few forms to settle on an imitation of Al. "I know, ok? But, well, we're happy and we have Cat now and" His voice trailed off when she turned her horrified gaze to the baby in her arms.

"Edward, Ed, you can't keep this. It's wrong, it's" She cut off when Envy moved, too fast to stop him, he grabbed the baby and retreated across the room.

"I told you, she wants to destroy her. Fuck you, she's mine. The Runt said you wouldn't hurt her. Well fuck that, we're done. Get out." Ed had followed him over and was handed the now silent little bundle. The taller man moved forward, fully intending to remove the threat.

"I didn't say that, but what will you do when she turns into a monster? When she's too strong to stop? You KNOW she'll end up like him, crazy, unpredictable, a monster." She fell back into a defensive position and Sig rose from the table to stand behind her.

Soft laughter, mocking and cruel, and a wide grin appeared as he shifted to his preferred form. "I am as I was born. I may be a monster, but I've never hidden it." His eyes glowed and the threat moved into a graceful glide forward. "Unlike some; you have a lot of nerve calling ME a monster."

"Envy, stop!" The blond was ignored and shoved back when he tried to move forward.

The deadly glide moved around her in a circle, assessing and unnerving. "YOU threw your child back into hell, YOU couldn't let him rest in peace, YOU didn't even kill him when you had the chance to put him out of his misery." Sharp teeth gleamed and he shifted to Wrath's form and smiled sweetly at her. He purred at her. "Mommy? Don't you love me?"

She was frozen in horror, pain, guilt, and he attacked. Suddenly, gold was between his fist and her chest; he stopped, close enough to ruffle long bangs. Ed stood huddled over the baby, arms around her to protect her and shoulders hunched to take the blow. He peeked up when it didn't come. "Envy, that's enough."

Purple blazed at him, rage glittering. "And are you my new master, to tell me when it is enough?" A gentle hand brushed the suddenly pale cheek. "Can you control me, I wonder." His hand fisted in soft hair and pulled the delicate throat into a long line.

"That's not what I said. Please, stop this. Cat's getting upset and this isn't helping anything." Sure enough, small whines were starting from his arms. Dark hair mixed with his as the white face moved close to his and he whispered, breath moving the thick strands. "Please, Envy. Give me this." Violet examined him but the first flush of anger was already fading.

"Fine. It's yours. Give her to me." The crying girl was handed over without a word. A few steps took him to the fridge and he grabbed a bottle before turning sharply and stalking out. The three left behind watched him go.

"Teacher, please, sit down. I'm sorry he said those things." A towel was grabbed and handed to Sig, who handed it to his wife. She touched her cheeks and stared at the wetness on her fingers.

"How could you, Ed? That, thing?" The metal hand reached over and turned off the pot, moving it easily to a cooler spot. He turned to face them and decided to sit too.

"Please don't say that, he's not a thing, he thinks and feels just like us. Being born wasn't his fault. He's just living his life, like the rest of us." An almost sad little smile. "And he's a great father, much better at it than I am. But I didn't say that." A little grin flashed and she smiled back hesitantly at him. "We're happy, have been for over three years now. We get along well, and it's nice to have someone who has seen the same things I have, who doesn't get scared or upset when I'm up in the middle of the night with nightmares."

The shadows in those bright eyes made her chest hurt. "Ed, do you love him?"

Red spread across his face. "I don't know, maybe. I like him, I like being with him, he's very calming, we're compatible even when we clash. Does it matter?" He arched a brow at her when she nodded. "Why? As long as we're happy, it's ok." The chair scrapped when he stood. "I am sorry he said those things, it was uncalled for. I hope you'll forgive him." A polite bow. "I hope you'll accept Cat; I would like you to be in her life as you have been in mine."

The slim woman sat back and looked at him for a minute. "You've matured, grown. I can't talk you out of this, then?" Blond shook with a smile. "Stubborn eyes, just like always. Alright, as you like. Bring her around sometimes." She glanced towards the stairs. "Both of you."

"Thank you, Teacher. We would be happy to have you anytime. Would you like to stay here tonight? We have a spare room." Her head was already shaking.

"No, we have a hotel already and we're only in town for the night. And, I think you'll need some time to get him calmed down a bit." Sig helped her stand and left his hand on her shoulder.

"It was good to see you, Edward." His deep voice echoed faintly in the room and the blond grinned at him.

"Yeah, it was good to see you guys too. Come back in the morning, ok? You can see Cat again before you leave." Her long hair bobbed in a graceful nod.

"She's a lovely child, Ed. Very beautiful." He beamed his thanks and saw them to the door. A heavy sigh and he was headed upstairs.

Water was running in the bathroom and he opened the door slowly and slid in quickly to keep the warm air inside. A dark eye cracked open and shut again. A thin brunette was laying it the tub, half filled with warm water, with the little girl curled on her chest. Soft breathing indicated she was asleep and had been for some time.

Ed walked over and knelt, resting his elbow on the edge. "Hey." A finger traced a thin eyebrow and trailed over a smooth cheek.

"Mmmm. Is she gone?" The blond nodded and he tucked the loose bangs back behind his ears.

They sat silently, Ed watching his lover and child contentedly. His finger trailed over the even features again. "You're beautiful."

"Even as a monster?" Blank eyes met amber and they stared at each other.

"Even then." The corners of his mouth kicked up. "Especially then." A soft kiss was pressed to the high forehead. "I always think you're beautiful." He took a deep breath. "I invited them back in the morning. They would really like to see Cat again, if that's ok." His fingers brushed the parted lips. "Izumi says she'll accept Cat, and Sig will accept her no matter what. Please?"

Violet flashed at him and he smiled, running his fingers over gently sloped shoulders. "What if she tries to hurt her?"

"She won't. She loves children, especially since she can't have her own." Gentle hands used the soft cloth to wipe smooth skin. "It was cruel to say those things."

"Truth." She stretched a little under the attention, shifting the baby to expose a bit more skin to the soothing motions.

"Truth or lie, it was uncalled for. Please don't say things like that again." The cloth was rinsed and clear water washed away the soap.

"Not apologizing." She was watching him now, eyes half open and sleepy.

A towel was retrieved and the little girl lifted up and dried gently before being wrapped in a fresh towel and laid in the sink. He bent over to lift the slight form out and toweled her dry as well. "I didn't ask you to, and I won't. All I ask is that you don't do it again. Please. She's not the only one you hurt." He didn't look up from his task but it was obvious his feelings had been hurt as well.

Light flared and a warm arm pressed the blond forward in an awkward hug. A pale hand flexed on the solid shoulder. "I, I'm" He couldn't get the words out.

"It's ok." Mismatched arms wrapped around his waist, a warm cheek pressed against his chest, and they stood in the steam filled room until it cooled.

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It just got to be too long, so it gets to be two chapters. Nothing else, really. Thank you for reading and to everyone who reviewed. I'm so pleased you've made it this far and I hope you have enjoyed it so far and will continue to do so. Hee, I'm so formal.


	6. Baby: ten to eleven months

Disclaimer: Of course, I own nothing.

Warnings: yaoi, fluff, questionable parenting skills

Yay! I can't believe all the reviews I got. That is amazing guys, thank you so much! And if anyone can think of 'nice' stories Envy would have to tell, I'd love to hear them. Personally, I think most of his stories would revolved around blood, guts, and fun things (for him) but I still think he'd take to the whole parenting thing better than Ed. Ok, I'm all done babbling at you, so enjoy!

Baby: 10/11 months

"Brat!" Nothing. Long hair swung as he checked the rooms, stalking through the house with Cat on his hip. "Where did that little bastard go?" A note in the kitchen reminded him; gone to the office, be back in a couple hours. The time was written in the corner, fifteen minutes ago. "Fuck."

"'Uck" The little voice made him look; she was watching him closely, waiting for him to say something else.

"Huh. I don't think you're supposed to say that. The Runt said something like that last time, didn't he?" Big blue eyes stared up then changed to green. "Whatever, you're gonna hear it lots anyways." He shifted and watched her follow his coloring; she didn't seem able to change anything other than her eyes and hair. "Maybe some practice is in order. Let's get you trained."

They settled in the living room surrounded by blankets. "Ok, let's start with simple things. Red hair, missy." She stared at him and reached over and tugged his hair. "Close." A quick shift and she followed, smiling.

"Rwed 'air." A quick nod and she changed rapidly, varying the shades. He changed with her, encouraging the experiments. Different colors started leaking through and he stopped changing; she stopped too.

"We need to practice that control, Cat-cat. Can you make it long for me?" His grew from a spiky cut to his usual long mane.

The little face scrunched up in concentration but the length didn't change. "No." A favorite word recently, one she'd definitely gotten the hang of.

They tried a few variations but nothing changed and soft cheeks started to turn red. "Alright, enough. Later." He checked the clock quickly; another hour. "Wanna do something else?" Pale limbs stretched out on the floor. "What do you want to do? We could do some walking." She was almost there, just a bit more strength and she'd be off. "Or," His old wide, pointed grin appeared and she imitated him.

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"I'm home, and the guys are with me. Got supper too." The bags were set down and he waved for their guests to hang up their coats and get settled. "Be right back."

Groceries were put away quickly and tea started. He looked upstairs for Envy and Cat; it was a little odd that they didn't come greet him. 'Oh well, they're around.' The tea finished and he grabbed a tray and carried it out to the living room. "Hey baby girl. Where's Envy?" The little brunette crawled over and latched onto his leg.

"Pethst." He almost dropped the tray on her. It was rescued by Cain, who carefully didn't look at him. Jean was furiously chewing a toothpick and Roy had his hand over his mouth, trying vainly to hide his smile. Riza and Vato stared straight ahead at nothing, faces blank. Heymans didn't even try to hide the grin and was glared at even more than the rest of them.

"Where did you learn that, sweetie? Did Envy teach you?" Happy giggling accompanied her transition from floor to his arms. "Where did he go?"

She looked him right in the eye, changed to a redhead with gray eyes, and announced, "Rwunt!"

That was it; Roy and Jean bolted, trying to get outside before they fell over laughing. Cain choked and made a pathetic excuse about having to use the bathroom and escaped, dragging the red headed officer with him. Vato excused himself to get some sugar, even though it was on the tray right in front of him, and even Riza cracked a little, a tiny giggle escaping before she composed herself. Her arms were held out silently and the little girl was thrilled to go see her.

Ed stomped off to look for his wayward lover, pausing to kick the bathroom door, where he could hear howls of laughter. "At least go outside, you bastards!"

Not in the house, maybe… He leaned out the window and spotted white and black lazing on a branch below it. "Hey, Brat."

"You. You are gonna pay, and pay, and pay. As soon as I catch you, you're a dead man." The blond fumed from the window and hopped up on the sill. "In fact, why don't you come over here and we can start right now." A quick jump and he was above the homunculus. "And what were you thinking leaving her alone like that?"

A lazy roll and twist and he escaped the ambush, dropping to the ground effortlessly. "I didn't; you were in the house and I waited until they got to the living room." He dodged the flying fist easily and tapped the blond on the ass. "What's the matter? Didn't you like it? She's starting to talk; you should be proud."

"Oh, I'm proud alright. I just can't figure out why you don't want to have sex ever again. I thought you liked getting laid, but apparently not." The smaller man snarled and attacked again. "Of course, I also thought you liked having all your body parts, but I guess I was wrong about that too." A little burst of speed brought him up beside his lover and he swiped at him, just grazing his shirt enough to make a tiny cut.

The auto-mail was grabbed and pressed to the heaving chest, the flesh hand captured and tucked in beside it. "Now, now, if I bleed, you have to too. Are you willing to bleed for me?" His lips nipped the shell of a small ear and his tongue traced the edges. "'Cause I would like that. It's been awhile." Slick heat moved down the tanned throat and a warm nose nuzzled the shirt out of the way. "What do you say? Right here." His teeth set lightly to the skin and the blond moaned and wriggled.

"En, Envy stop. No, I'm still mad at you." A brief struggle and he was subdued with a hard squeeze and a few well placed nips. A new tactic was in order and he went limp, letting the older man hold his weight.

"Now Pest, you really think that will work?" The blond was swung up into firm arms and kissed firmly. "Come on, let's go in. You can beat on me later. I thought you brought people home?"

'Oh, yeah. Almost forgot about them.' A brief shrug and he was released carefully with a last swat on the butt. A half-hearted swing was taken but his lover just grinned and darted off inside. 'Damn him anyways.' Sometimes he was just too cute to be mad at.

By the time he got inside, the taller was settled on the back of the couch with Jean and Cain balancing it, quietly watching Cat walk around with Riza's help and ignoring the male officers. Chatting stopped when he walked in but started again when he sat on the floor and let his daughter crawl on him.

Supper was a quiet affair, Ed steadily ignoring the brunette, even when he started shifting for attention. Finally the now blond man stood and stomped off to amuse himself, muttering about arrogant brats. "Just ignore him, darling." She babbled at him and ate a fistful of steamed broccoli. "You sure like that stuff, don't you? Good girl." Her hands and face were wiped steadily to keep the mashed vegetables from getting too out of hand.

"Come on, let's read a story, then to bed." A picture book Izumi had given them was flipped through and discussed thoroughly. "You should have a bath tonight; I bet Envy didn't give you one this afternoon, did he?" Assuming happy cooing meant no, he scooped her up and headed upstairs to find the bath already run and her toys set out.

A grudging "thank you" was called down the hall and he set her on the floor, using his foot to corral her while he took off his shirt and grabbed an extra towel. Delighted squeals followed her chasing the limb around and she shrieked when he draped the towel over her head. Tickling and babbling had her stripped and sitting happily in the tub with a cloth in one hand and watching a floating duck be pushed around. Ed grinned and nudged the duck in a new direction, watching her watch it.

She'd never really wanted to play with toys in the bath, but loved to watch them be played with. Water was a favorite thing and bath time had been fun from the beginning. Even having water in her hair hadn't been a problem like everyone had told them it would be. Splash. His bangs dripped and he stared at her while she giggled madly. "Guess you're ready for washing. Come on." A new cloth foamed and ran over her skin while she splashed and played, kicking water everywhere.

"En!" The blond's teeth gritted at the squeal in the enclosed room. He could feel a draft from the door and knew the other man was standing there, even without Cat's enthusiasm.

They were silent for a second. "Well, come in if you're coming, it'll get cold." A soft step and the door closed gently. Small hands waved and were touched with slim fingers. "We're almost finished; hand me a towel?" The blue cloth appeared without a word. "Ok, up." A brisk, tickly toweling and she was dressed for bed. Kisses were passed out and Ed sang an old lullaby he remembered his mom singing to him and Al.

Envy leaned on his back and dropped kisses on his neck while they watched her sleep. The smaller form leaned back a bit and held the arms wrapped around his shoulders. "How did someone as awful as you end up with such a sweet little girl?"

An easy grin and another kiss. "Lucky?" They stood in silence again for a few minutes. "It was pretty funny." Gold glared at him and he kissed the slightly crooked nose; he remembered breaking that and it made him smile to remember the preceding fight. His rubbed it gently. "She learned it pretty fast too, only took about half an hour to get her to say it right. She'll be talking in no time."

"And walking. Cain was saying today she'll be on her feet within a month." The blond pulled away a little and led the way to the door, shutting it carefully behind him.

"Yeah, strong like me." He almost wiggled with pride.

"Oh? Does that mean she got my brains?" The alchemist leaned on the wall and let his partner lean over him.

A slow grin was the only warning he got before the attack was launched. "I hope not, hate to see her go through life handicapped." Full lips worked soundlessly and the homunculus plowed ahead with a bright smirk. "Don't know what she got from you; looks, brains, and talent from me. Maybe she'll have your charming personality."

An answering smirk made dark brows draw together a bit. "You know, you were almost back in our room. Just about." He ducked under a long arm and headed down the hall to their room. Envy followed in time to catch his pillow. "There you are, have a good night." The door shut smartly in his face.

"Hey! Open the door, Pest." A faint clap came to him and the door glowed.

"The couch is downstairs. Night. Don't wake Cat." Violet stared blankly at the door; he actually meant it?

"But, hey! Brat, let me in." Silence. He tried the door; the handle turned easily but the frame was welded to the wood. "Fine. One night, Brat." He turned and headed down to the couch where he curled up as a cat.

Sweet kisses woke him in the morning, a warm cheek pressed to his head and a steady heart beating under his body. "Morning. Were you warm enough?" Flesh fingers slid through his fur and he stretched and purred. "Guess that's a yes." White flashed at him in a bright grin. "Want to get Cat? I'll make breakfast."

A quick shift brought him to sit across sturdy thighs. "Make sure it's edible this time, k?"

"If you don't like it, you can cook." Dark hair shook quickly and he stole a kiss before hopping up to get their girl. "Hey, try not to teach her anything bad today, ok?" Slim fingers waved at him and gold rolled in exasperation. He smiled to him self as he thought, 'What a pain.'

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Not much to say, really. Just that someone cried during our exam and I seriously felt like joining her. Which I think says it all. So, to distract myself from my wavering future, I'm writing lots for you.


	7. Child: two

Disclaimer: Make no money nor do I own FMA.

Warnings: yaoi, mentions of sex, Envy and Ed fluff mostly

Child: two years old

The eerie light glowed around him, illuminating everything in red. The circle pulsed at him, waiting for him to use it. Al was crying, thin, high, echoing from the suit of armor he'd trapped him in.

Something moved, just out of sight, and he inched forward, even knowing it wasn't what they'd hoped for. He was shocked to see a smaller form than usual appear, tiny, like a child, and he choked to see dark hair and bright red eyes peering at him from a twisted version of his daughter's face.

Nonono, that can't be. He could hear himself screaming, and thrashed desperately, flailing his one leg and arm, frantic to get to her, hold her, keep her safe. Pain exploded across his face but it was lost in the rest of it, the rush of his leg and arm disappearing, his need to get to Cat. Again and a sharp voice pushed at his ears, different from Al's or his own. He clapped his suddenly there hands together and came up swinging, attacking whoever or whatever was trying to keep him from his precious daughter.

He hit the floor in a tangle of covers and blood, gasping for air. He lay and stared at the ceiling, arms shaking, eyes twitching from side to side. He suddenly noticed the dampness covering his chest and arms and bolted upright, narrowly missing clipping his leg with the blade on his right arm. His hands shook so badly he could hear the metal rattling and his eyes couldn't move from the red covering them. He could barely get them together to change his arm back to normal.

"Fuck, Pest. That fucking hurt!" The same sharp voice from his dream came to him and he remembered he slept with someone now.

Panic set in then and he scrambled to his knees and stated to crawl back onto the bed. "Envy? Oh shit, are you ok? I'm so sorry!" The brunette looked him over with narrowed eyes and went back to wiping his side off. Tears slid over the alchemist's face and he sniffed miserably.

"Quit crying. You're such a baby. I'll live; don't I always?" He smirked over at his lover, who just sniffled more. "Come on. As hot as you look right now, it's time for a shower and sleep." A pale hand was held out and taken gently.

"I'm sorry, I, I didn't mean to, I just." Smooth lips covered his and a slick tongue slid into the open mouth.

"Yeah, yeah, you were having another nightmare." Hot water started and the blond was shoved in, his wet boxers tossed in a corner. He was followed and nudged over to give the taller man more room. "Don't worry about it." A small ear was licked and sharp teeth tested the lobe. "You could make it up to me though." A tiny smile kicked at the edges of the smaller man's mouth and he turned to get a full kiss.

The door opened quietly and small steps echoed faintly in the room. "Daddy?" Ed flailed, grabbing frantically at the walls for support. His dark-haired lover just rolled his eyes and tucked his head around the shower door.

"Yes?" The two year old looked at him, dressed in her blue nightdress and clutching a stuffed panda someone had given her; he couldn't remember who.

"Up?" Big green eyes stared pleadingly at him and he sighed.

"Just a minute." He ducked back in and kissed his blushing partner. "Finish up, I'll take her back to bed." Pale blue flared and a slight brunette stepped out, wiped herself down quickly, shifted pajamas on, and swung the little girl up into her arms. "What are you doing up, Missy? Come on, back to bed." She giggled at her and curled around her neck.

Half an hour later, he wandered back to bed, only to find it empty. He noticed the shower was still running and headed over. "Pest?" He could barely see through the steam and almost tripped over the small figure huddled on the floor. "What are you doing?" The water turned off with a hiss and he crouched down, bringing himself face to face with the blond.

Tears ran down his cheeks and gold stared back, tired and faded. "I'm a horrible dad. She needed me and I, I couldn't do anything." A loud sigh and their foreheads touched, loose hair tangling.

"Why do you think you are the only one who can do anything? That you have to do everything?" A sharp nose touched the pert one. "Maybe I want to be a good father too. Did you think of that? I don't mind doing things with her. She isn't just yours." Wet eyes stared into dark ones, searching.

"But" Pale fingers pressed to his lips, sealing them shut.

"No, listen. So you had a nightmare. Everyone does. So you couldn't bounce right up and play with your daughter. Big deal. It's not like you put her outside or anything. We're doing fine. But you have to let me do things too." Kisses slid over his cheeks, licking away drying tears. "You aren't alone, ok? I'm here with you. Stop being so selfish." A faint sniff and he pulled back. "Come to bed. This being nice crap is exhausting." A smile teased at full lips and finally bloomed into a true grin.

The flesh hand scrubbed away any remained traces of crying and Ed let himself to be helped up. He grabbed the slim waist and hugged tightly. "I'm glad you're here. I'll try to be less selfish, k?" Dark hair nodded around him and he let himself be picked up and carried to bed.

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Yeah, it's short, but fluff is kinda fun in its own way too. The first three paragraphs are nightmare, even though I'm pretty sure everyone got it. ;)


	8. Child: four

Dsiclaimer: Nice and standard, I do not own FMA or any characters. Other than Cat but she's kind cute, so I share nicely.

Warnings: child of mpreg, yaoi, language

Child: 4 years old (preschool)

Beep, beep, crunch.

Ed rolled over, glanced around and snuggled into the warm body at his back. It probably wasn't important. He'd only gotten to sleep a few hours ago because Cat was so excited about her first day of pre-school that she hadn't been able to sleep. The blond groaned and rolled again, taking the blanket with him. 'What was I supposed to do this morning?'

"Asshole." A sleepy murmur seconds before his neck was attacked, sharp little teeth nipping between loose strands of hair.

Quiet humming and Envy crawled over the blanket covered bump and burrowed in from the other side to curl against Ed's stomach. "What were we supposed to do today?" With a sudden gasp, Ed sat up, flinging the blanket to the floor while he scrambled to the closet. "En, move!" Damn, they were supposed to get Cat ready for school and drop her off early.

While the younger man got dressed and finger combed his hair into a passable ponytail, the homunculus groped around for the blanket and dragged it up onto the bed. "Blah, blah, lots of time."

"No there isn't!" Ed had set the alarm half an hour early but by the time he got Cat up, dressed, fed, double checked her school supplies, went over the rules for behaviour and walked her over to meet her teacher, they would be right on time. In theory. He sighed and shook his head when the lean body under the cover shrunk to hide.

'Fine.' The door of the bedroom slammed behind him and he went to pull Cat out of bed. No need, she was sitting on her bed, which was messily made, dressed in her new yellow dress and chatting with her stuffed panda. "Hey sweetheart."

"Daddy! Can I get up?" Her hands tightened on her toy and Ed grinned at her, nodding. "Yay!" The panda was abandoned to run by him and down the stairs. "Hurry, Daddy!"

Ed laughed and followed her down to fill a bowl of cereal and watch her eat carefully, avoiding spilling even a drop. So eager, he didn't remember being this eager to go to school. But, he's been so happy with just his mother and Al, and Winry visiting, there had been very little benefit to him going to school. Even reading and writing had been learned at home long before classes started. "Ready for school?"

"Yes! Will there be lots of people? Will I make friends? Are you coming?" A flood of questions, curiosity and nerves making her voice higher than usual.

"Well, there will be quite a few kids and I'm sure you'll make friends with some of them. I'll walk you there and Envy will pick you up." He smiled and patted her head. "You'll have fun."

"Okay." More cereal was eaten slowly before she pushed it away.

Ed picked up the bowl and rinsed it quickly. "Alright, let's go over the rules one more time. No changing hair color. No changing your eyes. Be nice, be gentle, don't fight, and if you need anything, you have the teacher call me at work."

"Yes, Daddy. No changing, be good, don't fight." They nodded at each other, then smiled.

"Okay, you want to go get Envy? I think he wanted to come with us to drop you off." She darted off, thudding up the steps, the pat of her small hands on the floor as she used them for balance a reminder of how very young she was.

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"Envy, Envy, get up!" Loud shouting and the warm kitten stretched with a yawn before burrowing a way out of the blanket. "Get up!"

Clumsy little hands grabbed at him and he scooted away, sliding under the bed to roll out the other side, lean and dark haired. "Well, missy? I'm up." He grinned sharply, pointed teeth gleaming as he tickled her mercilessly. Her squeals rose until Ed yelled from the base of the stairs for them to quiet down.

Envy plopped himself down on the bed, squirming daughter in his arms. "Ready?" Blond hair nodded quickly. "Remember the rules?"

"No changing, be gentle, anybody who's mean to me get's their ass kicked and don't tell Daddy!"

"That's my girl. Let's go." He swung her up to his shoulders and raced down the hall, skidding down the stairs to leap over the banister at the base. Cat shrieked and kicked her feet against his shoulders.

"Envy! I've told you not to do that!" Ed reached up to lift their child from the shrugging shoulders. "It's dangerous. What if you slipped?"

"We'd fall." Ed scowled and sighed. "We'd survive. Are you ready or what?"

"Yes, yes, I'm ready. Let's go." Envy took the task of dressing Cat for outside, slipping her soft hat over her ears and buckling her shoes while Ed shrugged into his coat and laced his boots. The Tiffany form was chosen and Cat swung between them, skipping as she danced along.

They chatted amongst themselves until the school came into sight and Ed went silent. His grip on Cat's hand tightened a fraction but he kept walking until they reached the gate. He swallowed hard and stopped, bringing Cat to a halt beside him and by extension stopping Envy. "What?"

"I, ah." The blond nibbled his lip. Tiffany leaned in close to hear him whisper. "I don't think I can."

"Fuck yeah, let's go. Don't be a pansy." Bright eyes rolled and the younger man was dragged along when Cat was tugged on like a leash.

The little parade made its way inside to be met by the teacher. A gentle young woman, she didn't try to pry Catherine away from Ed, just talked to her quietly. Tiffany released her daughter's hand and started to confiscate the other, worming skinny fingers between Ed's hand and Cat's. "Come on already, let go."

The younger man went brilliant red and slowly eased up his grip. As soon as it was loose enough, Cat ran off to play with another little girl with a doll. Ed started to reach for her but his hand was grabbed and held firmly. "No." He started to protest but was interrupted. "No, you said she needs to go to school. Meet someone other than us."

"But, well, maybe it's, too early? She could stay home for another year." Gold eyes turned to stare into green. "Maybe?" It was weak, his voice, his reason, but suddenly, letting her grow up this fast was just…too fast.

"Don't worry. She'll be fine." The teacher spoke quietly, smiling as she watched them. "A lot of parents feel that way but she'll have fun."

Ed looked away, gripping Tiffany's hand desperately. "Well…"

Slender arms folded over a soft looking stomach and the young woman chuckled. "Alright. If she isn't perfectly happy by the end of the week, you can take her home." Ed's head whipped up and she nodded. "Really. Before she leaves on Friday, we'll ask her if she wants to come back."

"Ok. I guess." Ed looked around, noticing other parents watching their children, some with younger children clinging to them. "Ok. Ok, yeah, let's do that."

"Come on, let's go." Tiffany yanked on his hand and he let himself be pulled away. It wasn't as if they'd never been separated before but it was the first time she'd been left with strangers.

Maybe not complete strangers, the file he'd had drawn up had given everything from the exact moment of the teacher's birth to her last phone call as of two days ago. He's scrutinized it for hours, looking for even a hint that she wouldn't be able to handle Cat properly. "Did you read the file?"

"No." The pulling slowed to a casual wander, fingers laced tightly together. "You read it a million times already. Probably know how many times she clips her toenails in a month."

Ed blushed and ducked his head. "It wasn't that detailed." His lover grunted. "Fine. But you'll pick her up, right?"

"Yes, yes, I will pick her up! And you'll come running home the instant your hated Colonel lets you go to check." The blond started to protest and was swatted on the ass. "No whining. Go to work, earn your pay for once. I'm going back to bed."

The younger man frowned, vaguely hurt at the callous attitude. He pulled his hand away and turned down the street towards his office without a word. Not that he wanted to be coddled but a little support might be nice. Their little baby was so big all of a sudden, going to school. She'd be making new friends, wouldn't need them as much, and it was scary. Maybe Envy just didn't feel that way; he was hard to read and while Ed knew his housemate loved Cat, well… Well, sometimes he wondered.

Tiffany watched the blond ponytail stalk off in a huff before turning around and heading back to the school. Soft light flared around her and from one step to the next a small bird took flight. A comfortable branch was chosen and the tiny form settled in to watch through the window while two dozen children played and listened to a story.

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"Hey, Cat-Cat!" The little girl whirled around and ran into blue clad arms.

"Daddy!" She was swung up into the air and they twirled, laughing at each other.

Their noses touched and Envy whispered against her cheek. "Did you have fun?"

He knew she had but he still wanted to ask. "Yes, Daddy! We read a book and played a game and drew a picture!" Sudden squirming and she twisted nearly in half to dig out her art. "Look!"

A scribble of color, brilliant against eh white paper and he had to squint and tilt his head before he figured out it was a picture of him, Ed, and Cat. "Very nice. Should we go home and show the Pest?" Delighted squealing and he hugged her close. So incredibly wonderful. A gentle throat cleared behind them and he glanced over his shoulder. "Yes?"

The young teacher stood uneasily, hands clasped in front of her. "Can I help you?"

"Don't think so. I'm taking my kid, probably see you tomorrow." He shrugged and started to walk away until a small hand gripped the edge of his uniform. "What?"

"Please leave Catherine here with me. One of her parents has to pick her up." She was trembling, afraid but willing to stand up to what she perceived as a tall officer to protect her charge.

For an instant, he considered just smacking her and leaving, which would be the easiest way, but then the Brat would be on his case for months about being violent. Again. "Edward sent me. Cat knows me. There is no reason that she should not come with me." Be calm, speak quietly, be patient. The three rules of life, at least for him according to Ed.

"Yeah, En, Cory is my friend!" Cat's hair was ruffled as praise for remembering his officer name. "Daddy said it was ok."

"Well, he didn't say anything to me. If we could just call him…" Her voice trailed off but she didn't release the bit of cloth in her hand. Envy shrugged and hitched his daughter up onto his waist more comfortably. They followed her inside and waited quietly for her to be connected to Edward's office.

Envy grinned when Ed started to yell, panicked that something had happened. Once he was calmed down, they spoke quietly for a few moments before the phone was handed over. "Envy, what the hell are you doing?"

"Hey, fuck you, I'm" He paused at the shocked gasp from the teacher and rolled his eyes. "I'm trying to pick her up but the woman made a fuss. I'm trying to be patient here."

"And doing a great job." Ed switched tactics immediately; praise, praise, praise, correct. "You're obviously being most patient and calm. I'm very pleased and knew I could trust you to pick her up. But maybe Tiffany would have been a better choice?" The brunet grunted. "I'm almost done and I'll see you at home in a few hours, ok?"

"Yeah, whatever." The phone was passed back quickly and he listened while Ed talked the teacher into allowing the officer to escort Cat home. She blushed and demurred while Envy rolled his eyes and played a clapping game with his daughter to keep her from wiggling around.

By the time they finally left, the courtyard was empty and the dead time between the end of school and the end of the work day had begun. The two homunculi had a race to the door of the house, then practiced picking the lock before having a snack. Nap time followed quickly and Ed opened the door to see them sprawled out on the couch.

He watched for a few minutes then slipped away to make supper. Warmth covered his back minutes later, long hair spilling over his shoulder. "Hi."

A sleepy kiss to the back of his neck. "Hey. Whatcha makin'?"

"Nothing special, just something quick and easy. Did you have a good day?" The blond moved quickly, adding ingredients to the dish before bending slightly to place it in the cold oven. It would heat quickly enough.

Quiet mumbling against his shoulder and he turned to face his lover. "Not bad. Tired." The brush of lips against his cheek made Ed blush but he turned his head enough to capture soft lips with his own.

"Daddy?" Catherine rubbed her eyes in the doorway and Ed pulled away from Envy to scoop her up.

"Hey, Sweetie. Did you have fun today?" She nodded quietly and snuffled on his shoulder. "Good. Can you tell me about it later?" Another little nod and he settled her at the table with a bun to hold her until the casserole was finished. Envy set dishes out without being asked and Ed snuck a kiss in along with a gentle pat on the ass. "Thanks."

Food perked the little girl up and she babbled away about her new friends and the story they'd heard. She also showed Ed her picture, which was praised and put up proudly on the fridge. They played outside until dark, had a quick bath, and settled Cat into bed. She lay quietly for a moment then whispered. "Daddy?"

Both men leaned in the door, Envy's arms around Ed's shoulders from behind. "Yeah, baby."

"I like school." Her eyes slid closed and they listened to her breathing.

Ed sighed and leaned back, pulling a pale hand up to cover his eyes. "Good, baby, that's good."

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It's fast and dirty but at least it exists. I simply don't have time anymore, which is sad but I'm plodding away at all kinds of stuff, so hopefully…. But not too hopefully. Please review, it makes me really happy.


	9. Child: five pt 1

Disclaimer: Of course, I own nothing.

Warnings: yaoi, fluff, slight angst

Child: 5 years

"DADDY!" He jumped at the shriek and hastily covered his hole again.

"Hey, where did you come from?" He wasn't due to pick the five year old up for another hour.

"Daddy came and got me. He doesn't have to work anymore today." Oh shit; that was bad. "What are you doing?"

"Yeah. What are you doing out here? It's freezing." Blond hair swung as he rounded the corner, attracted by their voices.

"Nothing, just thinking a bit." A little high-pitched voice over-rode his.

"He's playing with his secret." Fuck – shut up Cat! He managed to keep himself from growling at her.

Ed swung her up to his hip and ruffled the edges of her hair around her toque. "Secret? What kind of secret?" A bright grin and she started to open her mouth.

Envy interrupted loudly. "It's not a secret, just my stuff. Forget about it, it's not important."

His lover gave him a puzzled look but seemed willing to let it go. "Ok, whatever you say. Let's get inside, it's cold!" He touched a bright red nose to the little pink one and was squealed at. The afternoon was spent playing card games and reading, all three curled in Ed's blanket nest. He kept a batch of blankets on the couch for snuggling in and horded them jealously; they were counted every night and woe to the person who moved one without permission.

As soon as Cat was in bed, the blond perched himself on Envy's lap. "So? Wanna tell me about your secret?"

He clung to avoid being shoved off. "No." A quick kiss and he licked behind the shell of an ear.

"Ok. Wanna play?" Gold shone down at him and the older man couldn't resist. If he was screwed, at least he could enjoy it while he had it. A quick movement and he was on his feet, blond over a shoulder, and headed upstairs, letting the delighted laughter be muffled in his back.

Midnight and he slid out the window, careful not to wake the pipsqueak. Damn, damn, damn. He had to move this stuff before curiosity got to be too much and the runt was out looking. His bag was dug up quickly, damn it's getting light!, and he hopped the fence and sped down the street to the park, looking for a good place. He couldn't believe the rate she was going through the stones; she used two a year while he could survive on one for several years if he had to. He wouldn't if he didn't have to, because it was a pain being that weak, but he could and he had thought his stash would last them until she was at least old enough to get her own.

Finally, a spot was picked in a tree, high off the ground, where the branches were too thin to hold anything. A small hole was made and the bag hidden quickly. 'Good, should be safe there.' The run back was fast and he slipped back in the window to come face to face with Ed, who was leaning out, presumably to look for him.

"Envy, where were you?" He froze, staring at the faintly accusing eyes.

"Out." His feet landed lightly on the floor and he shifted to his usual long haired self.

"Out where?" Silence met the question. "Is there, someone else? Is that what this is about?" More silence. "You can tell me, I won't be mad." White nibbled pink lips and he stared at the floor. "Just, tell me, ok?"

Slim feet shifted uncomfortably and the older man looked around the room. "It's not that. Of course it's not that."

"Then what is it? You've been acting strange for a while now. What's going on?" More shifted around and his form started to change. Ed watched in alarm; once Envy's shape changing started, he was really upset.

"I have to go away for a while. It's been five years; I need to go." Gold just blinked at him. 'Go? Go where?'

"What? But, but, why? What's going on?" Dark hair just shook at him. "Why won't you tell me anything?" It wasn't fair! HE didn't hide things!

The slim form finally moved over to sit beside him. "Look, Brat. I just have to, ok? I can't help it. I'll be back as soon as I can be."

"No! You can't just run off whenever you want anymore; we're supposed to be a family, you're supposed to, you said! You said you wouldn't take off!" His breaths were coming in deep sobs and tears fell, blurring his sight. Envy just sat beside him, silent and staring at his hands. "What about Cat? Are you abandoning her too, or is it just me?"

Slim arms wrapped around the solid body, ignoring the fists that struck out at him to pull it close to his side. "I'm not abandoning either of you. I'll come back. I just have to go for a bit." The blond was sobbing against his chest, clutching his shirt frantically. "Calm down, ok? Stop crying." He started rocking, moving them steadily back and forth. "I stayed for five years, not even a weekend away. Give me a few weeks, ok? Tell Cat I went on a mission, she'll understand." The sobs were slowing down and sniffling hiccups started instead.

"Promise. Promise you'll come back." The older man nodded firmly and the blond pulled back to wipe his face. "Where are you going?"

A slightly teasing grin made him smile back a little. "I'm not telling you. You have to guess." Gentle hands brushed the red face. "I'll be back soon; you won't even miss me." Little kisses brushed the red nose and it scrunched adorably. "Come to bed; I'll leave in the morning."

His blond curled around him, clinging to his shoulders until he fell asleep. He lay awake, staring at the ceiling for the rest of the night.

Cat took it well, gleefully wrapping a scarf around his neck and informing him of the gift she wanted; she was used to the blond going on missions. Ed just stood back and gave him a quick hug before he started out. He was half way down the street when fast, heavy steps had him turning around in time to catch the air-borne alchemist. "You have to go?" A tiny smile and he nodded at the tear streaked face. "Be careful, ok? Come back." A hard kiss, tongue and teeth, and he was reminded of their earlier days together, when he would strive for that last kiss, one to last until they saw each other again.

Their foreheads touched and a softer kiss brushed the upturned nose. "I will." He turned and jogged down the street, determined not to look back. The train station was still a good ways away and he'd have to hurry to make it. Normally, the train would be the last way he'd travel, but if he was already this short, he'd have to conserve as long as possible.

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Weeks faded into months and Ed still checked every night, waiting patiently, then impatiently. He knew what they were saying at the office, that he'd been abandoned and to just move on, but he knew he was coming back. He had to. Al had even tried to hint around the possibility but backed off when it was clear his brother wouldn't discuss it.

His mind wandered, as it often did, to their little one. Sometimes, he wondered if he'd done the right thing, giving her all these different families, but he had decided early on that she would never be alone in the world. Al and Winry were well loved, if strict, and the military officers spoiled her horribly; even Falman snuck her candy if he thought no one was looking. Izumi and Sieg visited regularly and his Teacher had moved down a generation to teach Cat basic martial arts.

Cat stopped asking after the first week and was content to train with him, moving through basic forms and practicing her shape control. School had finally let out and Izumi had offered her a place to stay for a few weeks of summer, which was gratefully accepted. They talked nightly and his little girl was enjoying herself immensely with her other family.

A faint sigh and he turned away from the window to return to his work. He had barely sat down when the phone rang. "Hello."

"We have a problem." His Teacher's voice rang clearly through the line.

"What? What's wrong? Cat! Is Cat ok?" He crammed papers into a pile. "I'll be there in a few hours."

"No, no, calm down Edward. Everyone is fine." He stopped gathering papers and let her reassure him. "Did you know about the alchemy?"

"Alchemy? She doesn't know any. I haven't taught her anything and I asked that no one else do so either. She hasn't shown an interest, in the books, notes, or even when I do it." He smiled to himself a bit. "She's always been more interested in Envy's abilities."

"So, to your knowledge, she has never seen the Truth? Never opened the Gate?"

He was shaking his head before she finished, then realized she couldn't see him. "No. What's going on?"

A deep sigh. "She by-passed the circle."

"Wh..what?" He jolted upright and stared at the phone. "How?"

"I don't know. We were sparring with staffs, hers broke, and she clapped and made a new one from the ground. There wasn't enough material used to make the staff she did." Amber stared blankly at the wall. 'No, please, please no. This can't be happening.' Her voice came back to him. "When I asked, she said she used minerals in the ground to make it. She doesn't seem to be visualizing an array like you and I do, and didn't know anything about the composition of the ground."

"That's, that can't work. You're saying she not only by-passed the array, but the first step and equivalent exchange?" His hair shook in denial; that was simply not possible.

"I want you to come down, but there's no rush. You have to decide what to do." Her voice was blank, carefully masking her opinion.

"Can I talk to her?" There was a rustle and the phone was handed off.

"Daddy?" He little voice sounded so scared, he wanted to drop everything and hug her until it all went away.

"Hey, baby girl. Are you having fun?" He smiled and willed it into his voice.

She babbled at him about the things she'd done all day, what was for supper, and finally touched on sparring. "Sweetie, can you tell me what happened with sparring today? Teacher Izumi tells me you made a new staff."

"I'm sorry. You do it and Teacher Izumi does it, so I thought it was ok." He could just make out the hint of tears.

"No, no, baby. Nobody is angry with you. I'm just curious. Did you read it in a book? Or see a circle in my notes?" Her technical reading wasn't that strong yet, she preferred fiction like Envy, but there were arrays available for looking at. "Remember; if you want to know the answer…" He trailed off and let her finish a favorite saying between them.

"Ask the question!" Happy giggling and he felt her relax. "Ok. No, I didn't see any pictures. I clapped my hands like you and the ground gave me what I wanted!"

"How, sweetie? How did you know what was in the ground?" Amazing how often he forgot to be specific in his requests.

Silence while she thought it through. "Teacher Cally read us a book at school about rocks and minerals and how we can use them to make things. And you and Uncle Al were talking about equi-va-lent exchange and how you make things with it. So I did too!" His head rested on the wall and he kept his breathing steady.

"Alright, that sounds fine sweetie. I need to talk to Teacher again, ok? Good night, love you."

"Love you! Night!" She chirped at Izumi, who picked up the phone.

A shaky breath blew out. "You heard?" An affirmative sound. "Seems like she just saw what she wanted and the required materials came to her." He faded off, talking mostly to himself. "Three steps, understanding, decomposition, and recreation. If she doesn't understand the breakdown of the soil, or even the elemental properties of the minerals, she shouldn't have been able to make anything happen. Even ignoring that, she managed to skip the equivalent exchange principle." An annoyed snort brought him back; of course she already knew this, she'd taught it to him. "I don't know. There's a train tonight, I'll try to make it."

"Fine. Call if you miss it." A brisk click and he rubbed his head. How could this happen? He stared out the window and wished for his lover to come back. An hour later, he was on a train, his suitcase stuffed to overflowing with notes and books beside him. The books didn't even get cracked open, his forehead pressed to the window while he riffled his mental library.

The station was deserted when he arrived and made his way to the familiar butcher shop. The door opened as he approached and he grinned gratefully at the large man in the door. A quick check on his daughter and he joined the dark-haired woman in the kitchen. "Well?"

He slumped into the chair. "Couple of theories. I don't think she skipped equivalent exchange. I think, and this is just an idea, that she may have had a specific idea of what she wanted to use and pulled it from a large area. If she only thought to use, say, copper, she might have pulled trace amounts from a large area instead of concentrating on using everything in a small area." Dark hair nodded in acknowledgement, allowing for the possibility. "The others are about her not using a circle. One, she has a direct link to the Gate through Envy. It might give her the extra boost without actually seeing it. Two, she could have gotten it from me."

Dark hair shook firmly. "Impossible. It can't be passed on."

"Nothing is impossible, her very existence proves it. And why not?" He leaned forward and templed his hands. "We are the only people we know of who can use our bodies as arrays. You don't have children and she's my only. There is that theory that alchemy ability can be passed down through families; this is just an extension of that." They stared at each other over the table.

She leaned back in her chair, still watching him. "Regardless of how, what will you do?"

A seemingly careless shrug. "What else is there? Teach her. If she can use such basic knowledge as a first grade mineral study and make something useable… There really is no choice." He smiled softly at her, willing her to understand. "She's my daughter, Teacher, my little girl." The chair scrapped on the floor when he stood and stretched. "Can we talk more in the morning?"

"You can't run from this, Edward. You can't ignore it." His hands tightened on the back on the chair and his mouth flattened.

"I know that, but for tonight, it'll do." His bangs inclined towards her and he left the room, making his way upstairs. A moment was taken to look at his precious girl, the little miracle they'd pulled off. Her hair was pulled back in a messy braid and the blankets were all kicked on the floor.

The dark called him from the window and he looked out briefly, staring into the moon's pale light. 'Where are you?' Nothing moved, only darkness and silence. A deep sigh and he changed quickly and crawled into bed, pulling the covers with him. A soft kiss brushed her nose and the little brunette curled into his side. "Good night, darling."

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I don't know why Ed is such a crier. Maybe he's just not used to dealing with emotions and tears are the fastest way to work through them for him. Doesn't matter. Thank you for reading! I appreciate yoru reviews immensely.


	10. Child: five pt 2

Disclaimer: Of course, I own nothing.

Rating: M, this chapter only

Warnings: yaoi, fluff, slight angst, PORN!!! Yes, there is a little bit of porn in this chapter, and I don't want any whining about it. You have been warned and I'm only jacking the rating up for this one chapter, as it probably won't happen again. It's small and can be skipped without losing any of the story.

Child: 5 years

A solid weight landed on his stomach, jerking him upright and shoving the air out of his lungs. An arm wrapped around the little form sitting on him while he coughed. "Sweetie, that hurts. Don't do that, please."

"Sorry, Daddy. Did Daddy Envy come too?" Dark eyes changed in excitement, flashing through a rainbow of colors to land on violet.

He grinned up at her. "No, sorry. He's not home yet." Their Teacher's voice floated up to them, calling them for breakfast. She was gone like a shot, leaving him gasping from her leap off his stomach.

By the time he dragged himself down, the table was set and food was being put out. He was half into a chair when the whip like voice froze him. "You! Get firewood. No slacking." A deep sigh and he stood again, only to hit the floor to avoid the flying spoon. "And no whining!" Quick scrambling brought him to the door and he called for Cat to come too. "Catherine, sit down. Let your lazy, good for nothing father do some chores for once."

"What? Hey, I never got to eat without chores!" Another spoon flew at his head.

"And you still don't. Get moving." Faint grumbling but he was off and back in minutes with a large armful of wood. The rest of the household was seated and eating and he grabbed a plate quick.

"Hey, Cat girl, want to go out and spar a bit after breakfast? You can show me your alchemy." She grinned brightly at him and wolfed down her meal.

"Done!" The plate was put in the sink and she ran off to change.

"What are you going to do?" Izumi watched him carefully, waiting for a response.

A brief shrug and his dishes joined his daughter's. "Just a few tests, aptitude mostly. Nothing complicated."

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The yard was still the same; fenced, mostly cleared with a few trees and a small garden in the corner. The pair stretched, moving through the beginning forms and warmed up a bit, their Teacher watching them from the porch. "Ok, babe, let's see what Teacher Izumi taught you this year."

"Yay!" She darted forward and threw herself into the air, small leg flashing out. He blocked and she used his arm as a push off point to land a pair of hits to his chest and shove herself back. A roll landing and she was moving forward again, tiny fists hitting his arms and sides.

"Good girl. You've gotten much stronger." Not that it hurt, but it stung a bit, and her speed increased every time they practiced. And the grin was a bit eerie, really, as if she couldn't get enough, was truly enjoying herself. "Ready?"

She grinned wider, small pointed teeth reminding him of her father. Again, she whipped forward, leg slamming into his side, but this time he used her momentum to toss her over a shoulder and landed a hit to her stomach. It was shaken off and another attack launched, only to be captured and pinned against the larger body. "Daddy! No fair!"

"Nothing is fair, baby girl. And I wanted to hug you!" He proceeded to snuggled her furiously, ignoring the kicking and squealing. She was finally released and laughed adorably up at him, thrilled to spend time with him.

They settled in seated positions. "Make me something?" A happy nod and she clapped and pressed her hands to the ground, pulling a short staff from the flat ground, hardly making a depression around her but he noticed faint ripples moving through the entire yard. Light flared around her and Ed stiffened, eyes widening. Not only was it red, but he remembered that feeling of power, and the chill that had always traced his spine around it slithered down his back.

"That was very good, sweetie. Can you help me?" He sketched a simple array, and placed his hands on the edge. "Here, put your hands like mine and push power in, ok?" She frowned a little and placed her hands. He pushed and felt only his own power flow through the lines. "From your tummy, you can feel a little tug there." Her eyes brightened and he felt a wave of power join with his and he forced it through the lines, the reaction light turning a bright purple as the colors merged, then a brilliant ruby. "Ok, enough." It didn't stop. "Catherine! Stop it."

An extra flare and it cut off, as it a tap had been turned off. The blond sat, his hands still on the array, head hanging. The little doll was grabbed gleefully and the little girl ran to show it to her Teacher. Ed stumbled to his feet and knelt in front of his daughter. "Sweetie, I have something very important to ask you." She nodded at him, clutching her new toy. A shaky breath moved long bangs and he looked into her eyes. 'Please, let me be wrong.' He would have prayed to anyone for this wish to be granted. "Did En, Daddy Envy ever give you anything red, like candy or stones?"

Dark eyes flickered nervously. "Daddy said it was a secret and I shouldn't tell. He said you would be mad. Are you mad?" She watched him with worry on her face and bit her lip.

Strong arms pulled her in tightly and he buried his face in her hair. "No, baby, I'm not mad at you." Tears tightened his eyes and he closed them to try to prevent Cat from noticing. Izumi pressed a hand to his head until he let go, then swung Cat up into her arms and took her inside, leaving him on the porch. He just sat, staring at the door, and suddenly it caught up with him. He puked over the edge of the porch, long bangs dangling in his face while he heaved. The wood under his knees provided no answers, no matter how long he stared at it, and he stood and walked, following the street until he hit the outskirts then moved on to a path into the trees.

Once he deemed himself far enough away, he stopped and leaned on a tree, taking deep breaths. His head tilted back and he screamed, letting his frustration and rage wash over the leaves and dissipate into the warm air. Again and again, until the shortness of breath dropped him to his knees. "Why? Envy, Envy, why? Couldn't we just be free of it? How could you do that?" The tears fell freely now, soaking his shirt and dripping from his fingers. He sobbed himself into exhaustion and lay on the ground, staring up at the waving branches.

It was dark when he stumbled back, face washed in the lake and clothes smoothed out. As always, Cat was thrilled to see him and raced around, demanding he spar with her and read her a story before going to bed. Careful questioning filled in the details; two small stones were given once a year, on her birthday, right before bed, when Ed was cleaning up a bit. She said they tasted funny but Envy insisted she eat them anyways. Little arms hugged him tightly and a high voice whispered she loved him and he cried more, holding her until she fell asleep.

A chair in the kitchen provided a place to collapse and he dropped his head to his arms. "I told you, but you wouldn't listen." The steady voice came from behind him and he didn't budge. "Monsters beget monsters, but you insisted." His eyes narrowed to tiny slits of gold and he sat up, turning to face the woman who had been a second mother to him.

"A monster. You think my baby is a monster? Fine. Sorry we inconvenienced you. I'll take my monster and leave." He stood and walked to the door only to run in Sieg. "Excuse me, please."

"Sit down, Edward. Izumi does not mean it." The blond stared at him in amazement; it was the first time he'd ever heard the huge man oppose his wife. He backed up and sat down again. "Sit." Dark, serious eyes were on his wife, who stared back at him, eyes narrowed. She sat and the three of them looked at each other. "Catherine is not a monster." That was all, just the one statement, and his wife had the grace to blush.

"Of course not. That's not what I meant." She looked at the table.

Ed watched the scarred wood as if it would move if he looked away. "I know. I'm sorry, I over-reacted." They sat in silence, thinking about what to say. "I need to see Envy. There must be a reason and I want to know it."

"Cat needs to be trained. She can stay here, if you want." She looked up. "Edward, have you considered that he might not come back?" She was the first to say anything to his face and he flinched.

"No. He'll be back. He promised, and he's never broken a promise to me before." He looked up and met her eyes. "Can she stay until school starts? That should give her time to learn the basics and I can continue lessons at home." Another shivery breath and he stood again. "Hopefully, he'll be back by then. I don't know what I'll do then, but I'll figure it out." A few steps brought him around the table and he carefully wrapped his arms around the slim shoulders and hugged gently. "Thank you, Teacher." His eyes moved to meet her husband's. "Sieg." His arms were patted and he let go, patting a huge shoulder as he passed.

Cat was sad to see him go but excited to be able to stay for an extended visit. She waved from Sieg's shoulders until the train was out of sight. He leaned against the railing, thinking about what he would say and his options.

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Slim fingers slide along the widow sill, looking for the usual ledge he used to pry it open. Nothing; it was flat and well fitted, and he could see the lock turned on the inside. 'What the hell? Now what?' He'd lost his keys ages ago, so the front door was out.

"Envy." The blank voice below him almost had him falling off his perch. Damn, he was getting lazy now that he was home.

A quick drop and he stood in front of his lover, grinning easily. "Brat. Been a while." A pale hand reached out but was evaded and the blond waved him inside. "I didn't expect you to be he.. mmph"

A hard mouth locked onto his, demanding tongue forcing its way in. His hands grabbed to avoid falling and he stumbled back against the wall, caught off balance by the sudden attack. Hard hands stripped his top from him and a solid thigh pushed against his groin. A broken moan slid through dark blond hair as the hot mouth trailed over his chest.

"Damn, Pest, wait, let's AH!" Sharp teeth bit his stomach and he felt blood before it healed. "Fuck, wai" A firm yank toppled him to the floor and his tailbone cracked on the floor. He winced when the shorts were dragged off roughly and the vicious mouth moved over his skin again.

Breath froze in his chest when a nip was placed at the crease of his thigh but only lips and a warm tongue touched his cock and he relaxed a bit. Wet fingers slid between his cheeks and probed lightly before slipping inside. Ok, moving a bit fast there. "Runt, hang on, what's the rush?" His hips angled away and he tried to wiggle a bit but an unnaturally strong hand shoved into his stomach and pinned him down.

"Ok, that's it." One hand tangled in the long hair and forced the blond head up while the other hand hooked in the gap under his metal arm and dragged him up. "What's the matter with you? Calm down, lots of time."

Hot air panted at him and glazed gold stared into his eyes. "Now. Need." Heavy panting kept him from speaking clearly, hands still moving, running over the slim body under him.

There was extra strain on his blond, around his eyes and mouth, but he seemed so desperate, it could be let go. For now. He licked the full lips and they parted eagerly, letting him in to explore. He tried to go slow, but his lover wouldn't let him, demanding hard and fast, hips shoving them into the floor.

Clothes were discarded in a pile by the door and instantly fingers slid into him, turning and stretching painfully. Tiny whimpers were captured and swallowed, the cool hand on his erection making up for the slight pains.

The blond pulled away briefly and violet opened to see him spitting into his hand and slicking himself. He watched, mesmerized, as the wet hand slid up and down the length, leaving it glistening. Pressure at his entrance had his mouth opening in a loud moan, mixing the intense feeling of being full and the harsh stretch from too little preparation.

Ed panted down at him, buried as far as he could push himself, eyes glazed. His far older lover stared up at him. It had never been like this, this desperate, this hard. This needy. It was good, he didn't think they could be anything but good together, but still. "Pest, what's wrong?" His cock twitched, reminding him that now might not be the best time, but he ignored it, running his hands lightly down heaving sides.

Long bangs shook at him and solid hips moved, forward and back, rubbing his prostate firmly. "More." Drawn out and breathy, the command earned a low groan and faster movement. Short nails dug into his sides and he felt the skin give, his eyes rolling while he bucked frantically.

The low sound of skin sliding over sweaty skin filled the hall, panting breaths cooling sweat covered faces. "Fuck, En!" The pet name was savored; the only time he heard it was in bed, and only rarely. Erratic thrusts and drags of the cold hand dragged him after, sharp teeth worrying the spot where the auto-mail started.

The floor was cold and Envy suddenly realized they hadn't shut the door completely. Oops. He tried to reach it but couldn't move with the heavy weight sprawled over him. "Hey, Brat. Door." A sniff was his answer and he looked closer, finally noticing that the dampness on his chest wasn't just from sweat or orgasm. Words were muffling on his shoulder and he wiggled to try to make them out.

"Why?" A sturdy fist slammed into his shoulder and sobs shook them both. "Why?"

"What? Why what?" The fist kept hitting him and tears kept falling. He started to shift forms and was hit extra hard.

"Don't you dare." Wet, accusing amber looked up at him and he blinked down. 'What had he done?'

"Then get off. I'm going to close the door and you can tell me exactly what I did." He shoved and sent the blond sprawling onto the floor. The door shut with a click and he shifted clothes back on, handing Ed his.

"I know what you did." Tears still traced his cheeks but he wasn't sobbing anymore.

Envy leaned on the door and watched him. "You have to be more specific. I've done a lot of things." He tried to smile but his partner didn't acknowledge it.

The blond stood and put his pants and shirt on, wiping his face with the edge. "I know you gave Cat the red stones." Shifting started, forms flashing briefly, only to be replaced in seconds. "Stop it! Stop it. Face me as yourself."

Changing stopped on the slim form, dark hair trailing behind him, amethyst eyes staring straight ahead. "Why?"

"She needed them." Blond shook and he nodded back. "Yes. She wasn't born in human form, Edward. She needs them to maintain her body. She'll die without them."

"No, that can't be true. She didn't have them when… You wouldn't let me see." He stared in horror at his partner. "You gave her something while they stitched me back up, didn't you?" Dark hair moved in a brief nod. "And, and later? Why did you keep giving them to her?"

"She needed them. It hurts if we go too long without enough energy." Blond bangs were shaking again with an edge of desperation.

"Wrath didn't need them, he was fine." His voice caught, a high pitch sneaking around the edges. "She can't need them, she has a soul, she's HUMAN." It was as if he was begging for reassurance, for him to agree.

He could only partially indulge him. "Wrath wasn't born in human form either, and wasn't out of the Gate long enough to start to feel it, but he would have. We all do." His eyes stared in gold, dashing his hope. "She's only partially human, Edward. She seems to have a soul, true, but her body isn't fully human. You know that." A pale hand moved forward slowly, wrapping slim fingers around metal ones and tugging lightly to pull him into his arms. "Humans aren't fast like her, don't heal like her, and don't change like her." A pale thumb stroked a wet cheek and tilted the red face up to look at him. "She needs them. You think I'd give them to her if she didn't?"

The smaller frame trembled and he felt the stubborn jaw tighten against his finger. A hard shove broke them apart. "No! You're lying, you just want her to be like you! Get out!" Thin lips moved and dark eyes narrowed at him. "Just get out! You aren't allowed near her!"

Pale arms that had just been holding him so gently spread and laughter rang in the hall, echoing loudly. "You think you can stop me? She's mine and I'll call her to me if I choose. When she starts to fade, I'll take her." A vicious smile crossed his lips and his teeth sharpened. "You'll never see her again." Smooth steps stalked forward and their noses pressed close, close enough to feel the heat from his skin. "Say it. Say you're sorry and I won't take her. We'll stay here and you can continue pretending."

Long lashes fluttered but his eyes, those stubborn, stubborn eyes, never wavered, not even a flicker. "Go. We don't need you here; we'll get along without you." The blond took the last step, forcing their bodies together. "She loves you, I love you, but we don't need you." The homunculus was stunned enough to allow himself to be pushed out without comment.

It had always been understood that they were fond of each other, they lived together, they had a child! But neither of them had ever talked about love. Almost eight years, and neither had ever said anything. The shock sent the flare of rage dashing away in the warm air and he was left standing on the other side of the door, confused and a bit lost. His hand lifted to open the door again, but he picked up sobbing from inside and hesitated. Maybe, when they calmed down. As he walked down the street, it occurred to him that he was being awfully mature. Must be the parent thing.

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I have no idea how long Wrath roamed around without stones in him but we'll assume it wasn't too long. Aaannnddd, I'm leaving you with that, right there until I get home, some time on the 27th. Hopefully. I just can't survive on dial up for more than a few days. Thank you for reading and have a great holiday! wave wave Bye!


	11. Child: five pt 3

Disclaimer: Of course, I own nothing.

Warnings: yaoi, fluff, slight angst

Child: 5 years

The new routine was set; Envy came by at supper time and knocked twice. Ed yelled for him to fuck off and they sat silently, backs to the door, for about an hour before the homunculus took off. The blond had no idea where he went, just that he was back the next day, same time, same routine.

Nightly, Envy would show up on Cain's doorstep and be let in to sleep on the couch. He never asked for anything after the first night, when he even said please to be allowed to stay, but there was always a meal left for lunch and warm food when he came back from Ed's.

Sometimes, during the day, Ed would feel eyes on him and know the older man was around, but he was never approached and tried to ignore it. He heard from friends that they'd seen him around, sometimes as the little redhead, sometimes as the brunette officer, but he didn't say anything or interfere in any way; he was just there.

Almost a month since he'd come back and he knocked again. This time there was no answering yell, no swearing, just the door opening silently and he was motioned in. The door shut quietly and he followed his lover to the living room and sank down on the couch.

"Cat comes home tomorrow. I don't want you to come back." The alchemist sat in the chair facing the couch and leaned forward.

The brunette shrugged. "Too bad. I'm coming as long as you won't listen to me."

Serious gold eyes stared at him. "If I listen to what you have to say, will you stop?"

"I'll stop coming every day." He leaned forward and stared into tired eyes. "I want to see her; she's mine too."

Long bangs nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that's what Al said. And I agree. But, you have to make some promises." A brow lifted. "No stones. You have to swear you won't take her away from me. She has apparently inherited my circle-less alchemic ability, so I don't want her to do any when I'm not around."

"No alchemy, fine." Violet wavered, slightly hurt by the blond's lack of faith. "Do you really think I would take her from you, Pest?"

Ed looked at him, silent for a few minutes, then shook his head. "No, I don't think you would." A small smile back and slender shoulders relaxed a bit. "But, no stones, Envy."

"She needs them. She'll die without them, at least suffer." He stood and walked over to stand beside the chair, forcing the blond to look up. "Try to understand, I don't want her to need them either, to hurt without them. But she does, and you have to accept that." Blond shook stubbornly and his mouth opened. Slim fingers quieted him and the homunculus knelt beside the chair. "You want to stop giving them to her. I want to come home." He leaned in to touch their noses. "Let me come back and we'll try to take her off of them. If she can stop, I'll never give her another one."

Ed pulled back a bit, trying to get room to think, and his lover let him, staying still. "Really try."

"I won't let her die, but yes. Really try." Long hair rested in the firm lap, rubbing a bit. "Come on, you want to. And I'm tired of sleeping on that damn little couch."

A soft laugh and a gentle hand petted his hair. "What couch?" Satisfied humming and he grinned down; this was the kind of thing he missed the most.

"Little one's. Fits him too." The petting hand stilled, then continued.

"You've been staying at Cain's?" Pale shoulders shrugged and he snuggled closer, inhaling the missed scent of his lover. "How did you get him to let you stay?"

A bit of red snuck into pale cheeks and he didn't bother to hide it. "I asked." The blond stared down at him. "Yes, I can be polite if required."

"No, that's not it. I, I just didn't realize you were this serious about it. You were really waiting for me to let you come back here?" The dark head lifted and stared at him.

Purple shone with uncertainty. "Of course. Isn't this my home anymore?"

Ed took a small gasp and swallowed, tears threatening; he'd never realized Envy thought of this as his home before. Mismatched arms wrapped tightly around him and hugged firmly. "Of course it is. This is always your home."

He was hugged back and soft kisses pressed to his neck. "Missed you. Wanted to come home so many times."

A small sniff. "I missed you too. I waited for you."

"I know." A questioning sound and he laughed lightly. "I could see your finger prints on the window." An answering smile and the homunculus pulled back a little to look up. "We'll be ok." The blond nodded at him and squeezed again.

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Cat flew up the walkway, dancing ahead of Al. The door snapped open and Ed stooped to pick her up, swinging her in an arc. "Hey! How's my sweetheart?"

Little feet kicked happily and she attached herself to his shoulder. "Daddy Envy! You're back!" Al eyed him but said nothing.

"Smart girl." He shifted back to his usual slim self. "How did you know?"

Happy giggling and she shifted too, taking on his hair and eye color; she looked amazingly like him like that. "I can feel it! Just like Daddy Ed's alc-emy."

A light toss and she soared into the air, arms spread to be caught and laughter shrieking in the quiet of morning. "Smart girl. Come show me what you learned this summer." A loud "Yay!" and they were off to the backyard.

Al let himself inside and found Ed having coffee in the kitchen. "Hey."

"Hey yourself. Any trouble?" Short hair shook and he helped himself to a cup.

"So." His brother didn't say anything. "He's back."

"Yeah." The older blond didn't particularly want to talk about it, but Al would just pick at him until he did anyways. "Yesterday. We decided what to do; we'll try to stop giving them to her."

"And? What about him?" Curiosity was absolutely eating him alive.

"Al!! Geez, you're such a pain sometimes." Brown rolled at him and a hand was waved for him to hurry up. "He's staying in the guest room now. We'll see." Darker hair shook at him. "What?"

"Brother. You really think you'll be able to just live like that, in separate rooms?" A bright blush covered the elder's face. "Just make up with him already. Save us all the drama."

"Oh, so sorry my life is bothering you!" Gold eyes laughed despite the annoyed tone. His younger brother grinned at him. "Well, if you're so eager to harass others about their lives, what about you? Gonna make an honest woman of that violent mechanic yet or what?"

"Brother!" Al's face was as red as Ed's old coat. "I, I, don't, um."

His brother pressed his advantage. "Don't what? Want to? You should probably say something; you've been living together for how long now?"

The teasing tone had no effect on his embarrassment and the younger alchemist turned to look outside. "I don't think she'd say yes."

"What?" Ed stared at him. "Of course she would! Why would you think otherwise?"

Young shoulders hunched unhappily. "She's, ah, been talking about leaving, going back to Rissembool. Says there's nothing here and that she wants to help Granny more." He sighed. "And I can't leave; my work and research are here."

Long hair tilted over the back of his chair as he laughed. "Just ask. She'll say yes, I know it."

"Really?"

"Yeah, she'll definitely say yes. Bet you could talk her into getting married next weekend if you wanted." Al looked so appalled that he laughed again.

"Oh, no! I couldn't do that, Winry would want a big wedding, with all our friends and a fancy dress and cake and" His brother's laughter told him he was babbling. "Ok, yes. I'll ask her tonight." He nodded firmly.

"Al, do you have a ring?" Brown eyes widened and he bolted to his feet. "Ok, calm down. Let's grab the two gladiators and we'll all go. I bet if you offer him one of those candies he likes so much, Envy will act as a model." Pockets were riffled frantically and his eyes crossed when a foil wrapped candy appeared in front of him.

It was snagged and he ran for the back, yelling for Envy. The deal was made and four blonds left the house, heading for a nice jewelry shop Ed remembered from getting a birthday present. Envy was remarkably patient, hoping for another candy, and a small, sturdy ring was selected. The jeweler thought it was too plain, but the Elric brothers knew exactly what their childhood friend would like.

Ed balanced Cat on his hip, letting her sift through rings and necklaces while the other two got the right size. The small box was clutched in the young man's hand and he trembled while they stood outside the shop. Last minute nerves almost sent him back in but Ed grabbed him and fussed with his clothes until he calmed. "Ready?" Short hair shook frantically. "Good. Nervous is good, she thinks you're cute that way." He turned him towards home and pushed. "Get moving. I expect a call tomorrow with a date." A few hesitant steps and he was running, racing towards home. Ed waved at his back, grinning.

A casual arm rested around his waist and warm lips touched his ear. "Weird, isn't it?"

"Nah. Just right." The smaller body leaned against the tall brunette and rested his head on his shoulder for a second.

Energetic tugging on his hand and he was dragged to the park where he watched Cat and Envy play. They were too fast for him to keep up with, especially when their little girl was overexcited and he just watched them fly. Shrieks of laughter made him smile and fret at the same time. What if she really did get sick? How far could he take it? He noticed his partner waving at him and waved back, jogging over to play catch with their daughter as the ball.

A week passed and Cat's sixth birthday arrived with a flurry of first snow. A small party turned into a full house, with children, their parents, dogs, friends, and family filling every room. Children wore themselves down and were put to sleep while the adults had a few drinks and celebrated surviving another year with children. Al and Winry announced their wedding date as June of the next year. After another round, Ed and Envy saw everyone off and cleaned up a bit.

The blond leaned in the door, watching Cat sleep. A slim arm rested on his head, long fingers dangling by his ear. "Ready? We don't have to do this."

His head turned just enough to see the long hair. "Yes, we do."

"Ok. I'll check tomorrow. Then, we'll know how long we have until it starts."

"You think it'll be really bad." Silence until he prodded back with an elbow.

"Yes. It will be bad." The little form on the bed shifted and they retreated. "Pest, are you sure you can do this?" Violet eyes shifted form light to dark and back, watching him carefully.

A deep breath and he opened steady gold to stare back. "Yes. We have to, Envy. We have to try."

Thin lips tightened and he nodded. "Will you hate me, if she needs them?" An almost whimsical note haunted his words and a long strand of blond wrapped around a slim finger. "It's me that makes her need them, after all."

Ed settled his hands on slim hips and pulled him close. "Not necessarily. It was red water that made her possible at all; maybe it's my fault. Maybe it's nobody's fault and just the way things are." A sad little smile. "Not everything is someone's fault, Envy."

Soft laughter and the taller man pressed their foreheads together. "You finally figured it out." The blond laughed quietly up at him and leaned into a soft kiss. "Come stay with me tonight?"

"Envy, I" another soft kiss touched his lips.

"Come. Even if you just sleep beside me." Broad shoulders slumped a bit and the blond head shook.

"Alright. Come on, might as well stay in the main room."

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Shrill screams woke them in the morning and Envy beat the blond through the door by seconds. Cat was curled in a fetal position, clutching her stomach and screaming. "Cat, baby, hush, it's ok." The blond lifted her into his lap and held her close while Envy knelt and laid his hands over her chest.

Dark hair shook and his mouth tightened. "There's nothing there. Fuck, I thought we'd have a day or two at least." The little girl sobbed and her blond father curled around her, watching the brunette.

"Well? What can we do?"

"Nothing. Wait. Hope it stops before her heart gives out." Ed's mouth worked in horror. "Why so shocked, Edward? You wanted this."

Long hair shook frantically and he clutched the convulsing body. "No, no, no, no, I didn't, I don't, no." A slim hand slashed in front of his face.

"Shut up. You wanted this, so just shut up and wait." Gentle hands slid over his sides and held them both. "We can wait or we can feed her. Those are our only choices, Pest." The blond's tears flowed as his daughter screamed and shook in his arms.

Finally, finally it stopped and the room was eerily silent. Slowly, long wet bangs lifted and he looked down. "Is it over?"

"No. Her body is worn out. A few seconds of rest and it'll start again." Dark eyes, so deep a purple as to be black fluttered open. "Hey, Cat-cat."

"Da-ddy." It was more of a long sigh than a word. "Hurtsss." Her teeth gritted against the new wave of pain. "Da-ddy."

"I know baby girl, I'm so sorry. Just a bit more, ok? Be brave." Her eyes rolled back and her body arched violently, convulsing while wordless screams started again. Ed sobbed over her, clinging tightly.

When it slowed again, they petted her and told her how well she was doing. The third round was too much; her heart rate slowed and started to stumble.

"That's it, we're done." A small bag was dragged out and a stone cupped in a pale hand.

"No! Almost, we're almost there, Envy. No yet." The free hand lashed out and slammed against the dark cheek.

Pointed teeth snarled at the blond, who stared back. "We're losing her. She's dying. Think of something other than yourself, feel her heart, her breathing." The stone was crushed while Ed closed his eyes and let himself feel the small heart struggling against his palm, let the thin chest push his hand up and down slowly, too slowly.

"Yes, I'm sorry, yes, please, Envy." Pale fingers pressed the tiny chin up and trickled the powder into her mouth. A reflexive swallow and dark eyes slid open, searching for the stones she needed. She focused on the stone held out and clawed her way out of the blond's arms to get it, chewing quickly with too human teeth. By the time it was chewed enough to swallow, the most desperate rush was over and a third was sucked while she cuddled in Envy's arms.

Her alchemist father reached out, then pulled back. A little hand reached for him, small face smiling, and he went, arms holding them tightly. "I'm so sorry, baby, Envy, so sorry."

A wet kiss was placed on his cheek and he opened wet lashes to see Cat watching curiously. "Why? Did Daddy do a bad thing?"

Envy answered, a hand on either head. "No, he didn't. He loves you very much and was worried about you. You were sick, Cat-cat. But you're alright now."

"Oh. Don't be sad, Daddy. I'm alright." The stone was swallowed and she grabbed a handful of Ed's shirt, pulling him closer for a hug. "See?"

"Yeah, sweetie. You look great." Tears soaked his shirt and he clung to her until she fell asleep, snuggled between the warm bodies and loving arms.

"Come on, Pest. Let go." Mismatched hands were pried off and the taller man rose to set the sleeping form in bed and cover her with a blanket. Ed was picked up and carried to his room to be set in bed and covered as well. "Get some sleep. I'll call in for you."

Blond shook and he tangled his hand in long dark strands. "Stay. Please, Envy." The older man sat on the bed and lay down with light urging. "Don't leave again, stay here with me."

"I'll try." Gentle kisses rained over the blond's face, licking away tear tracks and soothing red cheeks. "Always. I'll always come back, even if it takes years, I'll come back. This is my only home." Ed curled around him and clutched at his waist, holding firmly, even in sleep. The brunette carefully brushed his fingers through the soft blond hair and whispered into it. "I do love you, Edward. You and Catherine are my first and only home. Good night."

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Um, I'm so, so, SO, sorry! I got stuck at my mom's longer than I thought, then I couldn't get organized to write and ended up behind on everything, not just this one. Ok, excuses out of the way, now to the sad part. I'm putting 'Shuffled/Hate this, Love you/Scattered' temporarily on hold. Between classes, the other four I have going, and work, I simply do not have time. So, mark it for updates and I'll get to it when I can; there is waaaayy too much potential to just leave it, so I will be back. I'm still glad you've read this far and have (hopefully) enjoyed it. Thank you so much for all the support I've received, I truly appreciate it, and have fun out there! Oh, and review please! Bye bye.


	12. Child: six

I'm kinda productive today. This is set a month or so after school starts, about the middle of October, and Cat would be in first grade now. Her birthday has just passed in early September, so she's six.

Child: six

Ed whistled as he slid along the sidewalk; ice was just starting to coat the cement and made for an excellent skating arena along the way home. 'We'll have to Cat skating next week. Wonder if En knows how.' One last slide brought him to the corner and he turned a bit quickly, flailing wildly on his way down. "Ow."

Even the thin layer of ice seemed to make the ground that much harder and he sat, rubbing his butt for a minute before shoving to his feet. A pleased squeal and he loked up to see his daughter racing towards him, dressed in that ridiculous purple jacket Envy had insisted on getting her. "Sweetie, be careful!" Even as he said it, she slipped and went flying to wards the ground; two quick claps and blue flared beside red, both moving to prevent injury.

Ed changed the cement and ice to a soft landing of blankets while Cat pulled a support up to stop the fall completely. She wobbled for a second, her support made of blankets collapsing slowly under her weight and she flopped in the soft pile, laughing wildly. "Daddy!"

"Yeah, baby." He stood over her, laughing down at her playing. The blond crouched and reached in to try and capture his slippery girl, who wriggled and burrowed to avoid his hands. A few minutes of playing and the cool wind was starting to get to Ed, sneaking in the edges of his coat to freeze the auto-mail. "Ok, honey, enough. Let's get inside and have a snack. Where's Envy?" Usually, the homunculus would have been leaning over his shoulder by now, nagging him about spoiling Cat. Envy was a big believer in survival of the fittest and saw nothing wrong with letting their daughter hit the ground on occasion.

Little shoulders shrugged and she reached up to be lifted. "Dunno."

The little brunette was settled on his hip and clung while he fixed the sidewalk. "How did you get home?" A thought occurred to him and he checked his watch for the time. "Hey, school isn't done yet, is it?" Another little shrug and she stared off into space, a bad habit she picked up from Envy when they didn't want to answer. Gold eyes narrowed and he poked her lightly in the side. "Catherine, did you leave school by yourself?"

"No. Teacher and some men brought me." Wide eyes peeked at him from under the fringe of bangs. "I was good all day."

"I'm sure you were." Ed looked towards the house and saw a slim brunette in a long skirt and a pair of men in too-big suits. "Well, let's go see our guests, shall we?" Dark hair nodded at him and they walked over, Cat babbling about the things she'd done so far today and Ed trying to think of why they were here.

"Good afternoon. I am Catherine's teacher, Cally Andrem, and these gentlemen are Mr. Fornum and Mr. Tresk. May we come in?"

"Nice to see you again, Ms. Andrem. If I could have a minute to make sure the place is presentable, I'd be happy to make tea." Polite words and a nice smile hid the nervous feeling that was creeping in. The door slid open and he took Cat inside. "Ok, sweetie, can you go make sure your toys are picked up in the living room, please?" A quick nod and she ran off, leaving her coat and bag in a pile on the floor. They were hung up and a quick check showed the place to be in decent shape.

He opened the door and motioned the three inside, offering to take coats and showing them to the kitchen. "How can I help you?"

The older man spoke up. "We've had a complaint, about your daughter."

"What? There's nothing wrong with my daughter. Who are you guys anyways?" The blond set his cup down and glared at the trio.

Tresk answered. "We're with child protection services. And I should say that the complaint concerns your daughter, specifically her living conditions."

"What's to complain about? We have a nice place, good neighborhood, she's fed, washed, has a safe place to sleep. We take good care of her, and we love her." He glanced to the living room. "She's happy."

"No doubt. However, we've been informed that you live with another man." Blond brows rose in disbelief.

"You're here, harassing me, because you think I live with a guy?" Ed stood and gathered the cups to place in the sink. "We're finished. Please leave. It is none of your business who I live with. While I appreciate your concern for Cat's welfare, rest assured it is also the most important thing to me."

"Daddy!" The blond moved to the door to see Cat run by him and up the stairs to hop into Envy's arms, wrapping her arms around the redhead's neck. "Hi! We have guests."

A fond smile and she bounced a bit, making the little girl laugh. "So I hear. Is there a problem, Edward?" The steps were negotiated easily and she smiled at him before leaning up for a kiss.

Muffled whispers from the three behind him drew her attention. "Why no, I haven't been dropping Cat off at school, and no, I'm not a cross-dresser. Should I prove it to you?" A sweet smile sent shivers down Ed's back and he slipped a hand to her waist.

"Ah, not that won't be necessary, thank you. Who is the young man that has been dropping Catherine off? She often calls him 'Daddy' and we are a bit concerned that she is confused." Mr. Fornum fidgeted a bit under the glare from the blond man.

"That would be Cory, our housemate. Edward has to work early in the mornings and I look after the house, so he helps out." Ed managed to keep his snort to himself; looked after the house his ass. It seemed to satisfy them and they stood to leave.

"Well, thank you for your time. We're very sorry to have bothered you, Mr. Elric, Mrs. Elric. It was a pleasure to meet the Fullmetal Alchemist, even under these circumstances." Blond bangs tilted and he saw them to the door, chatting politely.

"Ms. Andrem? Could you stay for a minute please?" She nodded and waved as the two men left. "Now." Ed leaned on the door, arms crossed while Envy stood beside him, Cat in her arms. "I am most disappointed. I was under the impression that you were an open minded young lady and would serve as a suitable role-model for Cat. We enrolled her at your school based on your interview. Apparently I was mistaken. You can inform your supervisor that Cat will be transferred next week to another school because of your behavior."

The young teacher stared at him for a minute then covered her mouth. "I was right, you do have a man as your partner! You, you just lied!" She sounded so shocked Ed had to smile.

"Hardly. They believed what they wanted to. You forget who I am; my reputation serves as both shield and pass for a variety of small sins. I'll be by tomorrow to begin the transfer; please inform your supervisor and have the paperwork ready." He held the door open for her. "That is all. Get out."

Thin lips worked soundlessly and Envy smirked at her, little tongue stuck out the edge of her mouth. "Guess you should pay more attention to who to you harass. Out of my house." The brunette took the few steps to leave her on the small porch and the door slammed behind her.

Cat clung to Envy's neck and watched them both sigh. "Daddy? Was I bad?"

"No, baby, nothing like that. We'd like you to go to a new school, where the teachers will be nicer." Big eyes blinked slowly at him and she nodded a bit.

"Ok, Daddy. Was Miss Cally mean?" Ed's mouth tightened and he glanced at Envy, who shrugged; how do you explain homophobia to a six year old? He wasn't even sure he understood it.

"Well, not really, I guess. There are some people, some strange people, who don't think you should be allowed to have two daddies." He reached over and took her, hugging her to his chest.

Small hands tangled in his bangs and parted them so she could look into his eyes. "Why not?"

Envy shifted to his usual pale self and hugged them both. "Dunno, that's why it's strange." A quick kiss was dropped on her head. "Well, we have all afternoon, should we go do some interviews?"

His partner grinned slowly. "Yeah, let's. I'll make some calls, see who has time today and we can probably finish tomorrow before picking up the papers."

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"You could have just let it go, said I was her mother." The book was set down on the blanket and Ed looked up.

"No, I couldn't. You aren't her mother, you're my partner and she had no right to try to interfere with our lives. We'll find a decent place that doesn't care. The second one this afternoon was nice." Envy was crawling over the bed and he braced for the assault. A brief wiggle and he pounced, sending the book flying and Ed's reading glasses sliding down his nose. "Oof. Why do you have to do that?"

"Because it's fun. And you like being stalked." Pointed teeth flashed before attacking his neck. "Now be quiet and be my prey."

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Just a little short, nothing particular happens, I just wanted to touch on the intolerance so often shown in schools. Review please! Thank you.


	13. Child: six Vday

Yay! Yeah, I know it's a day behind, but I was busy. New windows installed, writing one of the other dozen bits I have going on, and still had to go out for supper. Oh well, here we go!

Child: 6 years

"Hey, I'm home!" Ed slipped his boots off, tapping the snow on the edge of the door frame. "Cat? How was school?"

The house was quiet as he shrugged his jacket off and started unpacking his bag. A brief frown and he wandered around, checking for signs of activity; nothing looked out of place. A note was tacked on the bathroom door: Have a shower and change. There was a set of clothes folded neatly on the counter and Ed shook them out to see his favorite blue shirt and a pair of new black pants. 'Huh. Wonder what he's up to?' But, it was always a good idea to do as Envy asked, unless listening to nagging all evening sounded fun.

A quick shower and he changed into the requested outfit. 'Now what?' Starting supper seemed like a good idea and he set out bowls and a few utensils before opening the fridge. A yellow sticky note was hung on the light cover. 'No food.'

"Fuck." That pain in the ass didn't go for groceries and now there was just frozen stuff, which would take much too long to defrost. 'Guess we're going out tonight.' He was just finishing cleaning up when the door slammed open and a little pink blur hit his legs.

"Daddy!" A wide grin and she was swung up to wrap snow-suited legs around his waist.

"Hey. Did you get any groceries? We're out."

The bright blue eyes shifted rapidly to settle on a copy of his. "Nope, Daddy Envy took me for supper."

"En, I asked you to get groceries yesterday. I left money in the jar for you. Which is still there, I might add. What did you use tonight?" The blond jiggled the small form gently.

An annoyed sniff. "You suck." A triumphant smirk from the blond and she sighed, shifting to the usual white skinned male, still wrapped around his lover. "Borrowed your wallet. It's in Cat-cat's bag." The smirk faded to a glare.

"Hey, I said not to do that, I leave more than enough for you." Envy shifted to a copy of Ed and mouthed words back at him. "Stop that, I'm serious." Laughing gold made him smile and he leaned up for a kiss, hugging the copy tightly. "Where is the little missy, anyways?"

"You look really hot in that outfit." Light flared gently and slim hands trailed over the wide chest. "I was going to wait, but let's not." Trim hips wriggled enticingly and soft kisses heated, tongues touching and soft groans swallowed.

"Envy, where is Cat?"

"Your brother's place. They have people over." Izumi and Sig were visiting, and obviously staying with Al, as Envy was paranoid of having them in the house.

Another little kiss and hug and the taller form was set to his feet. "Well, should we go visit too?" Dark hair shook firmly and he shifted to his Tiffany form.

"Nope, we're going out." A pretty blue dress swirled around her ankles. "Take me to supper."

"Didn't you already eat?" Bright red hair shook quickly, a sly smile telling the fib for what it was but Ed shrugged anyways. "Well, where too? The streets were a bit busy today."

"Iii made reservations." Blond brows rose. "Yes, all by myself, didn't even have your brat of a brother do it for me." Which was one of Envy's favorite methods of operations; go to Al's and make a fuss until he got what he wanted. "Let's go!"

"Alright, ok, let me call Al quick." Impatient tapping of a small foot made him laugh and he hurried, chatting for a second with his brother, then said goodnight to Cat, who announced she was staying the night with Teacher Izumi. The phone was barely down before the little redhead pounced on him.

"Happy? All taken care of." A quick grin and she smiled at him, pleased with herself.

The brilliant smile was enough to drag Ed out the door and half way down the street before he realized he had no idea where they were going. Questions were ignored and he was hauled along, a bit puzzled by the apparent enthusiasm. Envy liked to go out, but she wasn't usually this enthusiastic about it.

"Here we are!" It was a short building, only a single floor but brightly lit with small tables. The place was full, with quite a few people waiting. A table was waiting for them and they settled in to scan the menus. A few minutes and they had ordered and made small talk for a bit.

"En, Tiffany." The name was changed when a slim finger wagged at him. "What are we doing here? I mean it's nice, but why are we out having supper when we could be getting groceries or visiting?"

Slightly injured green turned to him. "Don't you want to?"

Ed looked away, hand behind his head. "Well, sure, it's not like I'm complaining, it's just really busy tonight and, well, you know."

"No, I don't know. Why don't you want to spend time with me?" An annoyed huff and she leaned on her hands, waiting for his response.

"It's not like that! It's just, we don't have to go out, do we? I like to spend time with you, just you sometimes." Tanned cheeks burned with embarrassment. "What's so special about today?"

Long lashes blinked slowly at him, a slight furrow in the pale forehead. "You didn't notice?"

"Well, no, not really. Other than Valentine's, nothing jumps out at me." He tried to grin teasingly. "I'm not always that observant, you know. Just tell me."

She continued to stare at him, then started to snicker, which turned into laughter. "What?" Ed frowned at her, then smiled briefly at the waiter who set their plates in front of them.

"You," A slim finger pointed. "Are an idiot." More laughter and she started to eat, taking little bites around the giggles. "We're here BECAUSE it's Valentine's Day." Gold eyes blinked at her.

"But, we've never done anything before. What's so special about this year?" Red climbed the high cheeks and Envy looked away, shifting around in her seat.

Her lover nudged her foot with his. "I'm a crappy partner. I don't do things around the house well, I forget to do stuff, and I'm not nice."

"Envy, who said any of that?" The blond reached across the table and grabbed her ands, lacing their fingers together.

"No one." Long red bangs hid her face. "Your damn brother said I should try harder to do nice things. So I did. You were supposed to be proud of me."

Ed just watched her sit there, head down, then smiled a bit and waved a waiter over. "Can we get our meals to go please? Thank you."

"What? Why?" Slight shock peeked through the dark bangs and he grinned at her.

He couldn't resist teasing to lighten the mood. "We're leaving." Tell her nothing, let her think about it. A small sigh and she went back to staring at the table.

"You hate it, don't you? Why can't I do anything right?" Ed sighed internally; someone had to have said something pretty nasty for Envy to get all worked up like this. He couldn't believe she was so upset, but stayed silent until their food arrived, packed nicely.

The walk home was short and he put the meal in the fridge. "En. Come here." A few slow steps brought her close enough to pull into his arms. "First of all, you are the perfect partner for me. Even with your bad temper, laziness with chores, and deliberate forgetfulness." She snorted against his chest. "You're beautiful, charming, trustworthy, fun, and you do the sweetest things sometimes. No matter what anyone else says, I think you're fantastic." He could feel a little smile on his shirt. "Second, we don't have to do things like that just to show affection. Everyday, you help me make breakfast and lunch, get Cat ready for school, walk me half way to work, pick Cat up from school, and usually have most of her homework done so I can play with her in the evenings. Half the time you pack my bag for me and make sure I have everything I need." Gentle hands ran through the long hair. "You do lots of things to show affection. I know you like me, and that you're happy here with us, and that's all that matters, isn't it?"

A small shrug. "But, normal people go out for Valentine's, and don't have to be told to."

"En, we aren't normal people. We're us and that's good with me. I appreciate you going to the trouble of making plans for tonight, and I am proud of you. I'm always proud of you; you're a great father to Cat and a wonderful partner to me." A slim finger tilted the delicate face up. "Now, tell me who said you weren't."

Big green eyes stared at him, swirling chips of black giving them a slightly magical air. "No one, really. I was just fooling around and heard people talking, about the things they do and thought I wasn't very good at it." Her hair started to change color and Ed hugged her tightly.

Blond bangs shook at her silliness. "Since when do you care what other people think?" Pink cheeks glowed at him. "Don't fuss, when have I not told you what I think? If I think you suck, I'll tell you, ok?" He grinned down and got a reluctant smile back. "So, how about we eat quick, then really celebrate Valentine's, hm?"

A slight frown and the small form melted into the taller brunette. "How?"

"I hate to tell you this, but Valentine's Day is mostly just an excuse for girls to get chocolate and guys to get laid. Now, seeing as we're both guys, I think we can safely skip the chocolate bit and move straight to getting laid, don't you?" Violet widened and glowed brightly, enthusiastic nodding moving long dark hair quickly. "Let's eat."

The blond stepped back and turned to get the food out; a squeak and he was over a slim shoulder and watching the steps pass him by. "Naw, I'm not that hungry." Gold eyes rolled but he wrapped his arms around the slim waist anyway; supper could wait.

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"Damn you're great." The brunette looked up from the little pattern he was drawing on the flat stomach and smirked. "And not just at that either." Ed rolled to his side and snuggled against the smooth skin. "I love you. I'm so glad I have you."

Red flashed into pale cheeks and purple eyes flared. The older man wasn't sure what to say; he didn't even know what love felt like but it seemed a bit mean to not say anything. His lover just curled into his side, nuzzling gently. "I, um, I, ah"

"Shh, s'ok. You don't have to say anything. It's fine." The blond had to admit, he was a bit hurt, but it was just the way Envy was. And he knew, KNEW, his partner liked him, and he adored Cat and that was enough.

Pale fingers trailed through messy blond hair and over darker cheeks. "Sorry." He shifted, letting his body take him where it would. Dark green scales covered the thick tail and shone as it wrapped around the smaller body, making the blond laugh at the tickle. White skin gleamed under the toss of long hair and he curled around his lover, giving what he could.

"En." Ed sighed and ran his fingers over the slightly sharp features. "Don't worry, there's nothing to be sorry for. We'll get along the way we always have." A soft kiss and he settled to sleep, head pressed to the slim chest, leaving Envy alone with his thoughts.

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I thought to end it on a happy note, but angst snuck up on me. Oops.


	14. Child: six Vday2

Ok, next chapter done. Set after V-day, March of that year. Focusing a bit more on Ed/Envy's relationship right now, I'll get back to Cat later. Oh, and a bit of fooling around, which is to be expected, given the circumstances. Nothing too bad.

Child – 6 years old

"Daddy?" Ed looked up from clearing the table, stacking dishes neatly in the sink for later.

Envy, adorable brat that he was, had bolted the second Ed let him go; as far as he was concerned, family supper time was one of the worst things invented. He'd really picked it up lately, helping out with more chores, trying harder to make edible meals, and generally being useful, and Ed made sure to praise him extensively. And he was pleased and proud of his lover, who was trying so hard. Guests were just a bit much for him to handle.

Al and Winry were in the living room, chatting with Roy, Riza, Cain, Jean, Heymans, and Vato after trying unsuccessfully to get Envy to come visit. Ed and Cat were in charge of dishes since it was Al's birthday and the little girl had been disturbingly quiet. "Yeah, baby?"

"Can I have a brother?" Dishes clattered a bit and the blond put them down quickly. "Please?"

"Ah, Cat, honey." He took a deep breathe and let it out slowly. "I'm afraid not. Remember how you were special and I carried you?" This had all been explained when she first asked why she had two daddies last year and she nodded quickly. "Well, I can't have any more babies."

He watched her face fall and felt his heart break. "Oh." She carried her dish to the sink quietly. "Can I go, please?"

A heavy ball settled in his throat and he nodded. "Sure, sweetie." He watched her leave and heard her voice in the living room. Washing dishes seemed like a good distraction and he was up to his elbows in soap when Envy came wandering down, slinking in the door quietly.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Slim arms wrapped around his waist and a gentle nose tucked behind a delicate ear. Blond shook a bit but he didn't look up. "Hey, come on. Are you mad 'cause I didn't want to be down here?"

"What? No, of course not. I know you don't like too many people around. It's just, Cat asked if she could have a brother while we were cleaning up." Slightly red eyes looked back at him. "You think we did the right thing?" Envy frowned a bit at him. "Making it so I couldn't have another?"

Purple eyes narrowed then shifted rapidly; hard hands pulled him around to shove the blond against the counter. "You could have died having her. I'd have taken it out myself if you didn't let the doctor. I don't know what I was thinking; I shouldn't have let you have her in the first place." Wide amber stared into cold brown as pale hands shook him. "She means the world to me, and I don't regret it, but the risk was too high and we were lucky. Never again."

Dark hair flowed over Ed's face as their forehead's touched. "I don't know, I was so upset, so certain it wasn't mine, I didn't even think, and then it was too late, I didn't know what to do." A small sound escaped the blond and the older man touched their noses together. "I know she's mine, and there was never any doubt she would be; I was upset, not thinking clearly. I am sorry for that." Ed started a bit at the apology; a rare occasion, especially when Envy was admitting he had been wrong.

Tentative hands followed the slim arms up to wrap around slender shoulders and the smaller man buried his face in his lover's neck. "Thank you." Soft kisses were pressed to the faint hollow of the pale throat while he was hugged back. "I love you." Gentle purring vibrated against his lips and he smiled against soft skin.

A few more minutes of snuggling and Ed heard Al calling him. "Just a minute!" He grinned up. "Help me finish up here?" A deep sigh and the little tongue stuck out. "Trade you kisses for every dish you help with." Pleasure glowed and the homunculus immediately started gathering the last dishes and dumped them in the sink, slashing water over Ed's pants. "Hey, careful!"

"You could always take them off." The blond blushed and glared at the laughing man.

"Not now, we have guests. After they leave and Cat goes to bed, I'll take off anything you want." That grin was a bit scary and he started to rethink his offer; too late now. Envy was humming happily and washing dishes faster than Ed had any hope of keeping up with.

"Done!" A quick count, which Ed kept a careful eye on, and the total was announced gleefully. "Thirty three."

"What? You can't count cutlery too! Twelve." Thankfully he'd done most of it before the cheater had come down.

"Gimme twenty and we'll call it even." Delicate fingers tickled sensitive sides and the blond laughed, nodding quickly. A loud kiss was pressed to his mouth. "One." Another loud kiss and a quick tongue flicked over full lips. "Two." He was in the process of claiming his third, with full tongue and soft pants when the door opened.

"Honestly you two." Ed pulled back to see Al leaning in the door. "Come visit for a bit, the guys have to leave soon and we should get going in a bit too. Have to go see the hall tomorrow morning."

His blushing brother tried to escape but his brunette partner refused to let go. "How long?"

"Just under four months until the wedding." Envy nodded at him and stole another kiss before relinquishing his hold. "Come on, you should probably come and make sure Roy doesn't have Cat transmuting things again." Which was what happened last time he watched her.

Ed's face was still pink but he grabbed his partner's hand and dragged him in to chat, letting him sit on the floor between his legs and play with Cat. Almost an hour passed before their guests got up to leave, Al's arms full of little presents, and Ed waved goodbye from the steps, Cat on his hip.

She was tired and went to bed easily after a quick bath and a fast story. Her fathers stood in the door watching her for a minute. "I kinda wish we could give her a brother or sister."

Sharp teeth teased his ear. "Naw, one is enough. Anyways, she'll have cousins soon, right?"

"You wouldn't want another, if it weren't dangerous?" Dark hair shook against his neck

"Brat, having a kid was never something I thought could possibly happen to me. Hell, you didn't think you'd survive past twenty." A faint smile from his blond told the truth of the statement. "She's lovely and we should be grateful we have her, but I don't want another."

"Yeah. I guess you're right. And I'm sure we can play with Al and Winry's kids if we ever want to." He still sounded a bit sad and let a firm hand pull him to their room.

"Here. I got it for your birthday, but you can have it now." Pink flushed pale cheeks and a little box was dug out from under the bed.

Ed turned it over and picked carefully at the plain paper covering the blue box. "What is it?" He was shooed on and felt the slim body curl around his back, face pressed to his hip. The box finally opened and he tugged a gold chain out, letting the heavy locket fall into his hands. It was an inch and a half across, inlaid with complex arrays, the edges sealed. "Envy, what is this? It's pretty." If a bit girly and he couldn't see himself wearing it.

"Open it. The array on the front opens it and the one on the back seals it." It was turned over in mismatched hands and Ed noted the differences, memorizing and analyzing them briefly.

A quick glance down showed his lover still curled around him, face buried. The front array was activated easily and gold melted from the sides to the edges, freeing the latch. A flick of the thumb and it sprang open to show a small fragment of white nestled in the center of a complex array, faint light fading as the locket opened.

Envy's eyes shot open and his body convulsed briefly before freezing up. "En? Envy, what's wrong?" The blond looked down at him, wincing a bit at the faint pain of strong fingers digging into his thigh. "En?" Gold widened as he realized the problem and he snapped the gold pieces together, activating the internal arrays when the latch clicked, and dropped it away from him. "What the fuck?"

Air rushed into Envy's lungs and his body jerked. "Damn, forgot how much that hurt." Violet peeked up to see Ed's face getting red with anger. "Don't be mad. It's for you." Gold bangs shook and he nodded, rubbing his cheek against a firm thigh. "Yes, it's a present for you. So's the other one."

The box was pushed away and the blond shook his head again. "No, I don't want anything that will hurt you." Warm air moved over his pants, ruffling the material, seeping in to touch his skin, and he shivered a bit.

Dark eyes rolled and the box was retrieved, pale fingers dipping in to tug out a little bag. He settled cross-legged on the bed, staring into Ed's face. "Now, just hear me out, ok?" A quick kiss was pressed to tight lips. "It won't hurt either of us. Promise." The thin line of annoyance cracked and tilted in a faint smile. "Ok. I know I suck, and I'm rude, have crappy social skills and can't do chores worth a damn."

"En" The words he meant to say were muffled by a slim hand clapped over his mouth.

"Be quiet. I'm impatient, have a bad temper, am a horrible father, and don't know shit about love." The brunette took a second to chew his lip uncertainly before continuing. "But, you always forgive me, no matter how big an asshole I am. So, fuck, this is harder than I thought." An impatient hand ran though long hair and Ed stared at him over the restraining hand as he shifted nervously.

The homunculus settled back into his usual form and removed the hand from the blond's mouth, taking the flesh one and bringing it to his lips. "I got you this, and I wantyoutoletmestaywithyou. I know it's a crappy deal for you, but maybe you can anyway." A few seconds of silence and he looked up.

Tears slid down the younger man's face as he stared at the thin ring on his finger. "En." He choked on the word, a sob shaking his shoulders as he threw himself forward to cling to his partner. "You could always stay with me, no matter what. I love you, I don't need you to say it back."

"But, you want a normal family." Blond shook and dark hair nodded. "Yes, you do, I hear it in your voice, see it in your eyes when you watch your brother and his woman. I know you want another kid, but I can't give it to you. I can give you a normal family." He swallowed hard and pressed a hand to the gold head. "If you want, I, I won't change anymore."

A hard shove and Ed was staring into violet eyes. "No! No, En, I love you exactly as you are. I love the family we've made, I don't need anything more." He scrubbed briefly at his cheeks and leaned up to kiss soft lips. "You're perfect. I know we can't have another child, that's ok, really. You and Cat are enough." His hand was lifted so he could see the gleaming band. "This is so beautiful, where did you get it?"

"Same place your brother got his. Did the etching myself." A curious glance and he tugged a bit, removing the ring, smiling at the whine when it slipped off. The inside of the circle was slightly convex and a tiny array was etched on the highest point. "See? Just squeeze your fingers together and you'll be ale to touch it. It's an old one, very multipurpose."

Ed fussed at him to give it back and replaced it on his finger, twisting it happily. "Thank you, it's wonderful." Cold metal settled over his neck and he tried to take it off. "No, Envy, it's dangerous, you should keep it safe."

"That's why I'm giving it to you, you brat." His blond stopped struggling and looked up, meeting the bright eyes. "If you ever stop loving me, use it. Even if you don't want it, it's yours, to keep or throw away." Wide shoulders slumped in defeat and long bangs nodded slowly, flesh fingers trailing over the delicate arrays.

The metal hand clenched in the tight shirt, threatening to bruise pale skin. "I won't." Soft kisses were pressed to trembling lips.

"Alright." The blond was urged to lie down, letting his lover curl around him and stroke his back. After a few minutes of cuddling, and Ed had calmed down to relax into adoring arms, the homunculus spoke. "So, about you taking off anything I want."

Ed groaned and pressed his face to the slender chest; he's forgotten about that particular promise. "That means you have to put it on first, right?" The brunette pinned his struggling armful. "So, I was thinking you never did put on that dress for me. And you looked so cute too."

"Don't you think I'm a bit old to be playing dress-up?" Dark hair shook immediately. "I don't have it anymore." A teasing grin made him draw his breath in.

"Oh, that's alright. I remember what it looked like and you can make it from those old clothes you haven't worn in years." A light tickle. "You know, the ones in the extra room that you wouldn't throw out because they'll fit again."

"Those are perfectly good clothes, and they will fit again." A slightly injured huff. "They aren't that much too small."

"Brat, you haven't worn them since Cat was one." Envy propped himself up on an elbow and ruffled the long bangs, slightly fluffy now from being wet and rubbed dry. "You should use them for better things than taking up space until Cat wears them." A gentle slap to the rear and the blond was dragged up and pushed towards the door. "Come on now, it'll be fun. And you promised."

Gold eyes rolled at the wheedling tone but he let himself to nudged along and dug out a few pieces that he didn't like as much; a well worn black tank top and a red shirt he'd clung to, one of the only things he'd had as a teenager that wasn't black. He figured that was enough; it didn't matter if the dress was thin, he was just taking it off anyways.

A quick glance at his lover, who was sitting on the floor, vibrating eagerly, practically glowing with anticipation. "You're really weird, you know?"

"Yuh huh, come on, hurry up." His eyes glowed in the reflected light from the alchemy. A quick change and the long blond hair was freed to wave down the broad back and a foot tapped impatiently, waiting for an opinion. "You make one ugly, ugly girl."

A loud gasp and red flooded Ed's face. "You ass, you're the one who wanted to dress me up like this." The clasp was undone quickly and he started to shrug the fragile cloth off; slim fingers tangled in his and soft kisses touched his nose.

"You're too broad in the shoulders and narrow in the hips for a girl, your jaw is too square and your eyes too far apart." The blond tried to turn away and had his chin captured, keeping him facing his lover. "But you make a gorgeous man and a delicious man in a dress. See? Now I can do this with no resistance." A quick hand slid up under the skirt and groped happily.

A low moan and Ed was kissing back as they stumbled across the hall, hand behind him to find the door and it was kicked shut once they were through. "We are definitely sending Cat-cat to your brother's for a weekend." Another soft cry was muffled by a pillow. "Soon."

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So there we are, another chapter down. Yay! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Review if you have a moment, I love to hear from you, no matter what you think.


	15. Child: eight

Wow, I'm just zipping along, but it'll be a while before anything can be written after this. Stupid school. Anyways, Enjoy! Angst everywhere!

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Child: 8 years old

"Brother, where are you?" Al banged on the door. They hadn't answered the phone but he knew they were home; he could hear movement through the door. "Come on, let me in!"

"Hey, Al. Quiet, ok? Cat's napping. She and En went for a run this morning while I was at work and she is exhausted." The door opened a bit to let the younger blond in.

"Look, Brother! I brought him home!" Ed frowned and looked around his brother.

Familiar gold hair gleamed and the wind shifted, bringing the sickly sweet scent to him as the bearded man looked over, meeting his eyes. "Oh, fuck. Al, you guys have to go, right now. Get out of here, before Envy sees him!"

Brown stared at him when he shoved the younger Elric out the door, and waved for them to go. "But why? What's wrong?" The door slammed shut behind him and he banged his fist against it in confusion. "Brother? What are you doing?"

"Go, Al! Get out of here and take him with you. I'll call you." Ed could hear Envy's steps coming down the stairs and finally alchemized the door shut so he could intercept him.

"Who's that? What the hell is that smell? It smells like that bastard." The slender hand waved and was grabbed so he could be dragged to the kitchen. "Hey, let go!"

"En, I need you to stay calm." Purple narrowed at the blond. "Just relax, everything is fine."

A quick move and the smaller man's hands were captured and forced against the wall. "No, see, everything was fine when we went upstairs, and you didn't have to tell me to stay calm. What's going on?" His nose twitched again; if he didn't know better, he'd say that bastard was around somewhere.

Ed swallowed and pushed up to wrap his legs around the slim waist, hands still pinned. The pale body shifted forward to hold him up and long hair was brushed aside so he could speak against the delicate ear. "En, please, just hear me out, ok? He's, here. Somehow, Al found him, brought him back, I don't know, but he's here."

"Impossible. He's gone, I know it. The bitch killed him." His alchemist just clung and breathed slowly, trying to keep a steady rhythm for him to follow. "I know he is, he can't be here."

"En, just relax. It's ok, I sent him away. He won't come back, I promise." A dark cheek rubbed the white one, giving the comfort he could. "I'll talk to Al, explain that he just can't be here."

"But, but, he's gone." Ed nodded, squeezing with his legs. "And, he's back?" The dark head snapped up, pulling away abruptly. "He was here, in this house?"

"No! No, I didn't let him in, I sent him away as soon as I saw him." The shorter body strained forward, seeking contact. "I would never let him in, Envy. I wouldn't let him into our home."

Black pupils had contracted to pinpoints and Ed fought to get closer, to keep his lover here and not the crazed killer from before. "En, come back En. Please, stay here with me. Think of Cat-cat, she needs you to stay calm." Muscle trembled helplessly under the waves of rage and the blond alchemist did the only thing he could think of; his head turned and white teeth sank into the pale arm holding his above his head.

The salt of blood trickled over his tongue but the slim arm didn't move, pain forgotten in the need for revenge, lost in his hatred for the man who had created him twice over. Purple looked down at his captive, black swirling through the wide rims of bright color, and Ed knew he'd lost; his lover was gone.

Wrists ground together painfully and he whined, letting the small sound out with the faint hope Envy would come back to him. His luck was a horrible as always and instead of being released, their daughter wandered in, panda in one hand, the other rubbing her eyes sleepily. "Daddy?" Even at eight, she adored her panda and carried it around the house everywhere.

"En, please, let me go. Not in front of her." He let the tears fall freely, begging unashamedly. "Please, please, don't do this, not to her." The pupils dilated a bit, returning almost to their normal size while their owner examined the blond and looked over his shoulder at his daughter.

The harsh grip was released and he stepped back, leaving Ed to lean on the wall for support. "Hey baby. Done napping?" A forced smile but she smiled back and moved into his arms.

"Yes. I'm hungry, can I have a snack?" Her blond father smiled down at her and they got up to fix something. "Daddy Envy? What's wrong?"

"Sweetheart, Envy isn't feeling good right now, ok? He needs to be alone. Let's go find a book for you." A glance over his shoulder found Envy still standing, not moving. "Envy, I'll be right back." The plate of cut fruit was carried into the living room and a book set out for her to read.

He closed the door softly and locked it, just to be sure. A soft approach saw Envy sitting at the table, staring at his hands. "En?" Nothing, no sign he'd been heard, and he slid closer, watching for a strike. Gentle hands slipped over the slim shoulders and he felt them tremble under his hands. "En, are you with me?"

"Are you so afraid of me?" Low and cold, the voice almost sent shivers down Ed's back.

"Sometimes." His hand curled into the long hair and pulled back firmly until the homunculus tilted back enough to look him in the eye. "But I never believed you would hurt us. I'm afraid you'll go after him, that you won't come back. I'm afraid that you'll lose yourself, cover yourself with blood and not be able to return to me." A firm kiss pressed their lips together and he leaned forward to whisper against the soft lips. "We love you. Please stay with us." Slender arms lifted slowly to loop over his head and hold them together.

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Bed had always been a favorite place to talk and tonight was no exception; Envy was slower to anger and quicker to forgive when he was warm and comfortable. "Hey, En? I, ah, I want Cat to see him."

"No."

"Can you at least listen to me?" Ed propped himself up to look at his lover with annoyance. "Just let me talk, and you can say no later." An equally annoyed huff and he plowed forward. "Look, he's dying. He just wanted to stop and see us one last time then he swears he'll disappear. He's a fuck up and a failure as a parent, but Cat deserves to at least see him."

"Did you talk to him?" The brunette didn't look up, focused on the wall.

"A little, when I called Al. Please Envy, I'll take her, you won't have to go anywhere near him, and it'll just be a quick visit."

A deep sigh and his lover turned a bit to look up. "You just don't get it, do you? He came back, appeared from the dead, though that's a joke, to see YOU. He doesn't give a damn about me and never has. He brought me back and abandoned me for you, gave me up like an unwanted puppy and never gave me another thought. What makes you think he wants anything to do with our daughter?" Air whooshed out of his lungs when Ed dropped onto him.

"Envy, that's not true. He didn't want to leave you either, but he couldn't stay with Dante anymore and you couldn't be moved until after you were stable. By the time he could come back for you, you already hated him and he left." Faint struggling from under him but the blond clung, using his weight to pin his partner down. "That's what he told me, and I believe him. He talked about you a lot, when we lived in Germany." Dark hair shook furiously, denying an alternate to the truth he lived with. "Yes. What do you remember of your first days? Nothing, I bet. Dante told you what she wanted and you had no choice but to believe. Please, Envy, even if you can't forgive him, at least let Cat meet him."

The slim body was still, not even breathing and the blond eased up, staring down at clear violet. "You really think it's ok for her to see him? You don't think he'll do anything to her?" Blond nodded firmly, belief echoed in the gold eyes. "I, don't know if he can come here, if I can have him in the same house."

"He won't be. I won't allow it." A gentle kiss was laid on the pale forehead. "Cat and I will go to Al's place and see him there. Will you make supper?" Thin lips twitched in an almost smile and the brunette nodded slowly; Ed made it sound so normal, so easy.

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"Edward, you grew." Eyes a shade darker gold than his examined Ed, taking in the long hair and slimmer form. "And you lost some of that bulk; you look much better."

"Thank you ever so much, and yes, I did grow. I was only eighteen when I came back you know, lots of time to grow." He pulled back, not wanting to get into an argument with Cat attached to his hand. "Sweetie, this is my dad, Hohenheim. Dad, this is Catherine Jamila, my daughter."

The older man dropped to a knee and held out his hand to the little girl. "Hello. You're a beautiful young lady aren't you?" A tentative smile and she took his hand, shaking it quickly.

"Hi. If you're Daddy Ed's Dad, does that make you my Grandpa? Do you do alchemy too?" A pleased nod and she started to ramble on, asking questions about his style and life, telling him about hers. A thick brow rose at his elder son in question.

"Yeah, she's kinda into alchemy lately. Go ahead sweetie, outside and you can show Grandpa.' She bounced out and waved from the middle of the yard. They waved back and watched her make little animal figurines for them from the dirt.

"She's very talented." A tilt of gold hair acknowledged the compliment. "Where is her mother?"

"Al didn't tell you, huh." The younger blond sighed and ran the flesh hand through his bangs. "I carried her. Some asshole was playing with red water and I got caught in the backlash." He glared at the brow that rose again. "Yes, I have a guy as my partner. Live with it." He waved and smiled at Cat, who was running around a bit, playing with her new toys. "I'm only here to let her meet you. You and I made our peace a long time ago."

Long, grey streaked hair nodded slowly. "You've become a fine young man. I was always proud of you and Al." His son hummed and they watched the little girl play, eventually joining her; the older man didn't mention her unique alchemy and neither did her father.

Lunch came around and they settled to eat, Hohenheim sipping his tea and watching the others. "Oh, Brother, is something wrong with Envy?" Ed coughed and tried to catch his younger brother's eye. "I haven't seen him for a while and I thought he would come today for sure."

"Envy?" The eldest blond set his cup down. "What about him?"

Ed closed his eyes and put his face in his hands. "Win, can you and Cat go upstairs please?" Blue fixed on him and the young woman nodded quickly before gathering a plate of food and hustling the little girl away. "Envy lives with me, us. Cat and me. He's her other father."

Dark amber blinked slowly at him, then turned to Al for confirmation. Short hair nodded, a slightly confused frown on the youngest's face; what was going on? Their father spoke quietly. "Edward, you aren't serious." Long hair nodded. "Your own brother? Are you insane? And Catherine?"

"Is perfect. There is nothing wrong with her in the least." A defensive snarl; he could handle anything thrown his way but no insult to Cat would be tolerated.

"Brother? What are you talking about?" Al looked between them, waiting for an explanation.

Ed met his eyes straight on, determined to not falter. "You know how En was created? Well, he" A metal finger pointed at Hohenheim. "Had another son, and tried to bring him back." Brown eyes widened as he digested the information.

A heavy hand landed on the table, shaking it under Ed's elbows. "This is not about me. You knew he was your brother, and still you persisted. There is no excuse for that kind of perversity."

"Fuck you! Who cares? At least we're happy, and HE stuck around for his family!" His fist hit the table, anger seething around him.

Al's voice was thin, almost afraid. "Ed? Is, Envy really our brother?"

"The same way Sloth was our mother. There is no concrete answer, Al, yes and no. They aren't human, they supposedly have no soul, but then, theoretically, they're physically identical to the original. Who knows? I don't care, Envy is Envy, and he's my partner."

"He is my son, just like you! That makes him your brother." A large hand cut the air, the most emotion he'd really seen from the older man.

"If he was your son, you should have made an effort for him, just like you did for us. You didn't even look for him, did you?" Darker eyes stayed blank, hiding the older man's thoughts. "Yeah, that's right. You just came to find us because you feel guilty and you don't give a damn about how we feel or that he hurts too! I thought I got it but I guess not."

"Ed, don't talk like that to Dad! It's not true, he loves us, and he had to leave, but he came back." Ed stared at him; was he choosing a side? The youngest swallowed and looked between his father and brother. "Just calm down, both of you. Just, calm down." His hands patted the air between the glaring blonds.

"Why? All he's gonna do is judge, when he can't even be bothered to pretend to give a damn about our family." The older brother still flopped back into his seat and leaned back, watching his father tap his fingers on the table.

"Well, it is a bit much, Ed. A guy, ok, not quite human, alright, I can handle that too, but our brother?" Ed glared fiercely.

"From over four hundred years ago! And, I bet it wasn't even that body that conceived him! Just the same soul as our father." Which he knew was probably a lie; he'd seen the original form and it looked exactly like Hohenheim.

Who called him on it. "You know that's untrue, Edward." A faint huff and the younger blond glared at the table. "Edward, you can't continue this." Al nodded hesitantly and long bangs shook at them.

A soft smile and he pushed back from the table. "I don't have a choice; I love him. He and I belong together, just like Cat belongs with us. That's our family, so either take it or leave it. I'll get her and you can say goodbye. Even if you won't accept it, please don't say anything to her; she wouldn't understand why it's wrong in the first place."

His steps echoed in the hall and they could hear him moving up the stairs to find the girls. "Dad." The younger blond stopped, unsure of what he wanted to say. "I, don't really understand everything, I don't remember much from then, but, Ed and Envy have been really happy for a long time now, over a decade. Maybe it is wrong, but, if they're happy, and not hurting anything, can't you just, let it go? Does it really matter so much?" He watched the blank face, looking for a sign of some kind. "Please, Dad. Lie if you have to, for me." Dark eyes flickered to him and they stared at each other until Ed came back through the door, Cat by his side.

"Say goodbye, Cat girl." He smiled gently, ruffling her hair.

A faint smile and her grandfather stood and walked over to kneel beside her. A large thumb ran over her cheek and he leaned in and kissed her forehead. A few words of goodbye and she hugged him before running off to gather her toys to go home.

"Edward, I don't approve, but if it makes you happy." A soft sigh. "I suppose it's for the best; take good care of her." A thick arm awkwardly rubbed the wide back in a kind of hug.

The younger blond smiled and patted the arm around him. "Thanks, Dad."

"And, tell Paul, tell him I'm sorry." Long hair tilted in acknowledgement. "Well, you should be off, I suppose." The smaller alchemist nodded slowly. "Take care, son."

"You too, Dad." Cat came running back, panda under her arm and jumped into her father's arms.

"Bye, Grandpa. Take care." Another quick hug and they were off, walking slowly down the street.

Ed turned to look back once and saw his father watching; a little smile and he waved a bit, receiving a wave in return. When he turned back his eyes tightened up; not only would it be last time they saw each other, their roles had finally reversed.

Supper was quiet and they put Cat to bed as soon as possible, letting Ed curl up and cry into his lover's shoulder. He passed on the message and Envy was very quiet, cuddled around the warmth of his blond. They cuddled together, taking comfort in each other's presence.


	16. Preteen: twelve

Disclaimer: Of course, I own nothing. And if I could make money doing this, I wouldn't be half as eager to go to school.

Warnings: yaoi, fluff, slight angst, mentions of underwear

Moving back a few years here, I'm all over the map lately, so please excuse my flightyness.

Pre-teen: 12 years old

"You do it." Gold glared and furious whispers were traded.

"No, you do it." Violet glared right back. "I'm not. And you're more girly than I am."

"Bullshit. You turn into a girl, you do it." The blond ponytail whipped through the air. "You should go; no one will stare if you do."

"No, you should. You would know more about it than I would."

"What? I do not! At least you look the part." His glare changed a curious look. "Why would I know more about it?"

"You had a girlfriend, you must have some experience with them."

"But, but you wear them!" A faint snort was hushed quickly.

"No, I don't." Now that he thought about it, he'd never taken one off the brunette.

"Damn it." He hadn't actually gotten that far with his girlfriend.

"Ed? Envy? Can, um, we go now?" Pink flushed soft cheeks and the younger blond shifted uncomfortably.

"Just a sec, sweetheart." They stared at each other. Now what? The doorbell rang and was leapt on, scrambling over one another to get to it.

Ed won, barely, and swung the door open. "Yes?" He gaped at the blond woman on his doorstep for a second. "Colonel! Come in, please." This was the best thing that could have possibly happened. He hustled her in to the kitchen and sat her down beside Envy. "What can we do for you?"

A cool brow rose at his enthusiasm and a packet of files was placed carefully on the table. "These need checking and the results from last week were delivered to the office by accident."

"Thank you." The blond alchemist immediately started checking things and was interrupted by a clearing throat. "Right. Col, Riza. Can we impose on you for a huge favor?" He glanced at the living room where their daughter fidgeted on the couch. "Cat needs a, a br." His face flushed brightly and he licked his lips.

"Oh for fuck's sake. Cat-cat needs a bra and the Idiot here doesn't know anything about them." Purple stared at her steadily, a bit unsettling really.

"Like you do!" They flared at each other, squabbling like children. "Jerk."

"I tried to tell you that, Moron. But nooo, just 'cause I can be a girl means I know all about girly things." A pink tongue stuck out. "Dumbass."

"Enough." They both shifted their attention to her. "Of course I'll take her. You should have just asked in the first place." They both looked at the table and she stood and walked to the door. "Catherine? I'm going shopping, would you like to come?"

"Yes!" The girl leapt to her feet and pounced on her savior. "Please!" She was led out and waved to her fathers, who waved weakly back.

"Damn we suck." Ed flopped on the now unoccupied couch and his lover sat on his stomach. "Oof, heavy."

"Bite me. What are you gonna do when she wants to know about sex?" Red rushed into the tanned face and the metal arm covered it.

"Something, hopefully far, far in the distance." Faint humming and he slid his hands up to flex against firm sides. "So. You, ah, don't wear them, huh?"

"Care to test that theory?" Soft laughter and they rolled to the floor.

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The two blonds strolled along the street, stopping to check out the odd pair of shoes or dress. "Your fathers were a bit stressed. Is this your first brassiere?" The twelve year old blushed a bit and nodded quickly. "It's ok, nothing to be embarrassed about. In fact, it's a special day, means you're growing up. Have you thought about what kind you would like?"

Blue eyes stared at her in awe. Her dads never talked this easily about underwear! "There are different kinds?"

"Oh yes. We'll go a few different shops and you can pick out some you like at each. Don't worry about the cost, I'm sure your father will be more than happy to pay for anything you want." She smiled down and was grinned back at. "Would you like a bit of make-up while we're out?" Blue lit and she smiled more.

"Can I really?" Excitement had her bouncing on her toes.

"Just a bit. Young ladies shouldn't wear a lot; they end up looking cheap. And I'm sure you don't want to look like that." Blond hair flew with fast head shaking. This wasn't so bad; she hadn't had children, too busy working, and a girl to teach these things to was nice. "Here, this is my favorite shop."

They spent hours inspecting bras of varying size, shape and color and tested a few light lipsticks and nail polishes. Lunch was eaten at a little outdoor café, mostly empty in the mid-afternoon. "Catherine, have your fathers, or anyone really, talked to you about your menstrual cycle?" A girls day out was as good a time as any to cover the topic, and she was fairly certain Edward would put it off until the last second if left alone.

Big, curious eyes stared back at her over a sandwich. "What's that?"

Riza sighed and proceeded to carefully outline the female reproductive system and how it worked. Small diagrams were doodled on napkins and tucked into her bag when they were done. Her calm and relaxed attitude had the little blond asking questions for almost an hour. One final stop and they were on their way home, armfuls of bags slowing the younger girl down.

Envy was lying on the lawn, watching Ed fuss with the last leaves from the year before. "Ed, Envy, we're home."

The homunculus rolled over and watched them walk up the steps. "You're wearing lipstick. Pretty."

Pink colored her cheeks and she glowed under the praise. "Thank you." She let them in and the men followed, whispering to each other.

"How did you know? I can't see anything." A pale hand clapped over his mouth and the brunette grinned at the blond woman waiting for them in the entrance.

"I can smell it. Even you know enough to say something nice when a girl is wearing make-up." A firm elbow started to dig into the smooth side but a raised blond brow made him stop.

A receipt was handed over and Ed almost collapsed. "What? Since when does underwear cost that much?"

The pale brow rose at him again and he blushed, glad Cat had gone to her room. "Since you have a growing young lady to provide for."

Envy peeked over his shoulder and choked. "Sorry." The apology was mumbled out around the blond's embarrassment.

"That's fine. It's already been charged and will come out of your annual salary." A soft smile. "I also took the liberty of instructing her on her menstrual cycles."

A hunted look crossed the blond's face. "Oh, shit. I forgot about that." Envy just stared at her blankly; something else he had no experience with.

"It's done, so don't worry about it."

"Thank you so much!" He looked so saved she had to laugh.

"Not a problem. Call me anytime, I'm more than happy to go shopping with Catherine." She picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulder. "I should get going, I was just dropping off those files on my way home."

"Thank you, Riza. We really appreciate your help. And giving up your day off." He grinned suddenly. "It was probably a hell of a lot more fun with you than either of us. If you ever need anything, just ask. We'll be happy to oblige." His lover nodded from his side when he jabbed him with his elbow.

A quick smile and she waved. "Say good bye to Catherine for me." The two men waved her off and collapsed against the door.

"Holy shit, I completely forgot girls did that." He glanced at his lover, who was still looking a bit dazed. "We really suck." Slow nodding was his only answer.

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Yay. I can imagine Cat's first bra would be a pretty big trial for our pair of fathers. And I think Riza would be very firm and correct about it all. Thanks for reviewing and for reading this far.


	17. Teen: fourteen pt1

Disclaimer: Do not own FMA.

Warnings: yaoi, mpreg, light violence

Skipping a few years here, but we'll come back eventually. Thanks for reviewing and reading the last chapters!

Teen: 14 years old

"Hey, Ed?" The backpack shifted shoulders. Her red hair brushed her shoulders and her eyes were blue today. At fourteen, her friends were all insanely jealous of her lax parents; None of them were allowed to dye their hair or wear contacts! Ed and Envy had agreed that she could change her hair and eyes anyway she wanted, as long as she did it at home, and none of the teachers dared say a thing. Not after the first time. Envy won the competition to go talk to them and came back in a shockingly good mood.

An absent-minded noise came from the blond riffling through the closet. "Envy! Where's that book? The one I had yesterday?" Coat pockets were emptied and he dug through his bag, tossing unwanted books and pencils on the floor.

"How should I know? You had it. And pick that shit up, you're gonna call in an hour whining about not having it." He stomped through the entry way, large book in one hand and a hat in the other. "Cat-cat, put this on. It snowed last night. And you," He dropped the book and addressed the blond, who was still on his knees digging frantically. "Hurry up and get moving. I won't be as nice next time I get a call bitching about you being late." The cap was forced over his daughter's head, squishing her hair and getting his hands waved at.

Ed hopped up and started repacking his things. "Nice? Those bloody secretaries still won't talk to me; they could hear you yelling at Mustang all the way down the hall. And don't swear."

"Ed…" Catherine tried to interrupt their squabble but they were in full swing now.

Purple rolled and a slim hand landed on a cocked hip. "Oh, no! Swearing! Don't be a baby; I can talk anyway I want to. I'm not the one who can't remember he took his precious research book to bed with him last night."

"Oh, and you didn't have that novel! Trashy cr.. garbage. Shouldn't be in the house in the first place." The delicate glasses were shoved up his nose and he snorted at the outraged look on his partner's face. "You know, if you want to act like a housewife, you could at least do some chores around here."

Violet narrowed at him, forms shifted, and a nasty smile appeared. "Housewife? Guess that makes you the provider. So, how come we didn't get that new fridge, huh? Blew your entire paycheck on books again, didn't you?" A slightly chubby middle aged woman wearing a big, loose pink dress wagged her finger at him.

Even offended, he had to admit she was right this time, and she did look pretty funny. A soft laugh and he leaned forward to press a quick kiss to her cheek. "Well, Miss Housewife, we better be off or you WILL get another call. And try to be nice, k? I don't particularly want to listen to him yell either." A soft flare and he was engulfed in slim arms and given a proper kiss, tongue sliding in and a quick nip to finish it off.

"Cat-cat, you ready?" They both looked to where she'd been but the door was closed and her boots were gone. "Did she leave?" The cap he'd put on was on the floor and got picked up. "She's gonna freeze."

"Ah, let her go. It's only a few blocks; she won't freeze and she'll be embarrassed if you show up with a hat she didn't even want." One last kiss and he took off, jogging down the slippery street towards work. He didn't see the bright red hair anywhere, but maybe she got cold and was too proud to come back. It was shrugged off and he focused on not sliding into work on his butt.

It was only a few minutes past eight-thirty when he darted around the corner and he waved cheerily at Gabby, who rolled her eyes at him and pointed at the clock. A quick wink was thrown out and he blew around the corner to his office, only to run straight into Roy, who was leaning on the door. "Damn it. What do you want?"

"Now, Fullmetal, is that any way to talk to your superior? Especially considering you're late for the third time this month." He was snarled at half-heartedly and stepped out of the way to be invited into the blond's sanctuary. "I'm here to remind you of that meeting this evening."

"Blah, blah, like I could forget, you harp on about it constantly." The bag was set on his desk and he shrugged out of his jacket and hung it up.

"This is very important, Edward." The brunette was announcing his intention to run for a parliamentary position and had harassed the blond alchemist into at least standing with him and lending him a bit of support.

Gold rolled at him and their owner slumped into his chair and fiddled with a pen. "Yeah, ok. I said I would, didn't I?" He noticed the older man eying his worn shirt and plain pants. "Yeah, yeah, I'll have something better later. Envy is coming by and will bring my other bag. I forgot it and he was coming for lunch anyways. It's under control, Mustang."

A quick smirk and he opened his mouth to make a comment, and the office door slammed open behind him. They both turned to look and could only stare. A familiar brunette stood panting, hair ruffled and uniform out of place. "What are you doing? What's wrong?" He never seen his lover this frazzled, not even when he was having Cat.

"She didn't show."

"What?" The chair rolled back and slammed into the wall when he jolted to his feet.

"Cat didn't get to school and I can't find her." He stopped panting and leaned on the door, bouncing slightly on his toes. "Come on, we have to find her."

The short alchemist grabbed his coat, then stopped. "What do you mean, you can't find her? I thought you could feel her."

The bouncing moved through his body and he backed out the door, letting his lover follow him. "I can. But now I can't. Come on!"

"Wait, Fullmetal! Hang on, we'll set up a search team and" He was waved at and yelled to from down the hall.

"Sounds good, you do that. We'll start now. Picture on my desk." And they were gone, long coats trailing behind them.

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"Come on, one more time!"

"This is pointless. I can't feel her." Slim hips tilted and he glared at his stubborn blond. "It's like if I was looking for a hand. I should be able to feel where she is."

Long bangs shook while he thought, a metal finger rubbing his nose. "Well, what about the stones? Can't you feel them?"

A pale flush rose in white cheeks and he stood a bit taller. His dark hair tilted back and a deep breath came in and blew out, sending a full plume of white high. Violet eyes fluttered open, pupils still dilated. "No. Nothing. Wherever she is, she's taken something that blocks it."

"Then whoever has her knows what she is, what you are." He paced briefly, thinking. "We need a plan, we don't know who took her or even what she looks like right now. What if she changed before she took whatever it is? Or after, or" His hands flitted in front of him and Envy grabbed them.

"Ok. You go home, they have to want something and I can cover more ground alone. Give me an hour. I'll come back if I don't have her." The younger man looked like he might spaz at any moment and he needed to either calm down or have a goal. The goal was available and he shoved him at it. "If something changes, have the Bastard send it around his men. I'll pick it up." Gold nodded firmly and he pressed a quick kiss to his nose and jumped to the roof, watching him take off in the direction of home.

First thing to do was pick up his extras. He had the nasty feeling Cat would need them, once he found her. Next, hit the abandoned warehouse district. They'd had a few places tucked in there and there was no reason to think no one else would use them. He could hear the faint mumble of soldiers moving through the streets and listened to their conversations for a minute. Nothing of relevance to him and he took off, barely touching the rooftops in his hurry.

Ed hit their street running and bolted up to the house. The door was partially open and he slowed, searching for a reason. Envy never left the door unlocked, no matter how upset he was, and he would certainly never leave it open. A soft clap and his arm changed to a thin blade, longer and slimmer than it used to be, but it gave him more mobility and range.

The house was silent and he peered around each corner, carefully keeping his back to the wall. Nothing, the place was empty and he slid into the kitchen to check for messages. There was a scribbled note on the counter about groceries and he took a shuddering breath at the reminder of how normal their lives had been just a few hours ago. A step from the door had him pouncing, blade at the pale throat. A soft squeak escaped Cain and his eyes were huge. "Fuck!" He rolled off and changed his arm back quickly. "What are you doing here?" The metal hand was held out to help the brunette up.

"Ah, the General sent me around to try to put a trace on your phone, in case a call comes in." The blond finally noticed the box on the floor. "I let myself in and was wiring the line from the roof."

"Ok, so, we're just supposed to wait here?" He paced quickly, circling the room. "I can't just stand around, I have to go out and look too, I need to get my hands on Envy and" The phone rang, shrill and demanding his attention. The table served as a spring board and he leapt on the phone, fumbling it in his hurry. "What! Did you find her?"

A low voice chuckled over the line. "Well, Mr. Elric. Sounds like you've had time to think about the decision you have to make."

Blond stood on end in his rage. "You fucker, if she isn't in perfect condition when we get her back you won't have to worry about dying."

"Now, now. Let's not be hasty. She's fine, sleeping like an angel." Another low chuckle. "Now, we want you to withdraw your support from Mustang. We'll bring her back after the candidacy announcements tonight."

Flesh fingers trailed through his bangs and he laughed, forehead pressed to the wall. "This is about Mustang? Fuck, you idiots. No one cares if I support him or not."

"Mr. Elric, even you are aware the support of the Fullmetal Alchemist still has a great deal of influence. You will withdraw your support or we'll keep your charming daughter. She'd very interesting, isn't she? Quite the talented young lady. Very, receptive, to certain uses of a fascinating array we stumbled across. Something about homunculi?" Ed smiled grimly at the phone.

"Might I suggest not doing that? It may be extremely bad for your health." Fuery was waving to him to keep them on the line, fiddling with his equipment. "Let me talk to her."

"Of course. She's just waking up." Scuffling and a brief round of swearing came to him. "She kicked me! Little bitch!" "Ow, watch the teeth." The phone was dropped and fumbled before Cat's voice came to him.

"Daddy?" Her voice sounded small and far away.

"Hey baby. Feel ok?"

"Kinda, my head is fuzzy and my chest hurts. The man made me drink something disgusting. And now I'm in an array and can't get out. I threw up a lot. I feel better than before though." Faint voices could be heard telling her to shut up but she kept going. "They can't reach me if I stay in the middle and I think they're scared of erasing a line if they come in."

Ed couldn't help grinning at the phone. Yep, that was his daughter alright. "Good job, baby girl. We'll be there in a bit, ok? Envy's on his way right now and I'll be right behind him. Just sit tight. I'm heading out now, so under half an hour. Love you."

"Ok, Love you too." Cain was waving that he had it and he moved to hang up and thought of something.

"Baby?"

"Yes?"

"What did you want to ask me this morning?" He'd almost forgotten that she'd been trying to talk to him earlier.

"Oh, nothing important. Can I ask when I get home?" She didn't sound upset about it, so he let it go.

"Sure. Love you, sweetheart. Be safe." He smiled to her, letting her hear it through the line.

He could hear the answering smile. "Yes, Daddy, love you too."

He hung up and turned to the delicate looking brunette. "Well?"

"I narrowed it down to the block, can't do much more than that. It's not too far, twenty blocks or so." He shoved the map he'd been using over and pointed to an industrial area, full of warehouses and factories. "Right in here."

"Great. Send out a notice to all searchers. Envy will pick it up. Send them around, they'll need to take these pricks in." He grabbed his coat and headed for the door. "And tell that Bastard I'll be there tonight, k?"


	18. Teen: fourteen pt2

Disclaimer: Do not own FMA or any rights to it.

Warnings: yaoi, mpreg

Teen: 14 years old

Across the city, dark hair whipped around and faced back to where he'd come from. "Shit!" Wrong end of the city, wrong warehouse district. Still, he could feel her now, faint but there. He turned so suddenly, his feet skidded backwards for a second before he started moving forward again. A group of soldiers was under him and he yelled for them to go north on his way by. Minutes later, he caught up with his partner and hauled him up to the roof with him, slowing to keep pace. "Found her."

"Yep, got her." They grinned at each other and Ed shooed him ahead. "Go on, I'll be right behind you." White flashed and he raced off ahead. "And no killing!"

"Pussy!" Laughter drifted back and the blond sped up, running as fast as he could to leave as little time for 'accidents' as possible.

The homunculus covered the space in seconds and figured he had about ten minutes, give or take, before the runt caught up. Should he go in through the back or… nah. May as well make the most of his time and just go straight in. The door shattered under his shoulder and he rolled to a halt, counting bodies and assessing strength. The smallest one, kinda scrawny, was kneeling by the door, hands on the floor. Alchemist. There were four others, big men, obviously the muscle of the operation. He started for them first but bright light made him stop and look.

He was standing on an array, the one the alchemist was powering. It was examined quickly and he snickered. Similar to the ones Dante had always used for sealing but not quite. Cat was sitting in the middle of one near the back of the room and waved. "Daddy!"

"Hey, Cat-cat. You feel ok?" She looked fine and nodded quickly. "Good. Stay put."

"Ha, you aren't going anywhere. This will keep you from moving around and now we have two hostages." Violet glanced at him and he was shocked to see a wide grin start.

It stretched and showed pointed teeth. Soft laughter started and the homunculus paced the circle, checking the dimensions and symbols. "You think something like this, can hold me? It's pathetic." He stalked to the edge of the circle nearest the alchemist, who stared at him in fascination. Light lit his face but he didn't move out of the circle and they grew more bold, stepping closer, almost touching the array in their desire to have a look at him. His grin grew wider and both arms flashed out, grabbing the two largest men by their throats. "This won't even slow me down." Their heads slammed together and the other three men backed away and bolted. The two larger were thrown through the back door and he stalked the alchemist against the wall.

"Hello, little alchemist. You want to tell me all about this, don't you?" Wide eyes stared at him, terrified. "Aww, it's ok. I won't hurt you too much if you tell me what I want to know." Babbling started and he grabbed the thin form and lifted him high, shaking a bit to make him shut up.

"Envy! Put him down!" He stopped shaking and glanced to the ruined front door. Ed stood, hands on his hips, glaring at him.

"Damn." The alchemist was thrown to the side and slumped against the wall. A quick shift and he was in the little red-headed form he knew his blond liked so much. "Yes?" A cute smile and innocent eyes only got rolled amber and a sigh.

"No killing. Cat, sweetie, you ok over here?" Long bangs shook and he headed over to release her.

"Yep, I'm ok. Feel a bit dizzy though." A bag flashed through the air and Ed grabbed it on its way by his head.

"Give her a couple." The blond started to shake his head and was interrupted. "Yes, the array removed hers from her system; she'll need them soon."

"Ed, give them to me please. I know they taste gross, but only two, ok? I don't want to be weak." His mouth tightened but he handed a pair of small stones over and looked away while she swallowed. "All done. Can we go now?" He ruffled her hair and hugged her.

"Yeah, anything you want. Sorry we took so long." She hugged back and watched over his shoulder as Envy edged towards the alchemist and kicked him. "I saw that. Leave him be."

Heavy stomping brought the redhead over to glare at her partner. "Fuck, how come I can't do anything fun?" She was grabbed and hauled in to be hugged too.

"Because, if we have them in custody, not only do we get to question them, but we have evidence. If you beat them up, they won't be able to answer questions." He grinned down. "At least not anytime soon. And I want that alchemist. I thought Dante was the only one who knew that particular array?"

"It's not the same. It might hold someone weaker, like Cat or Wrath when you found him, but not a full grown homunculus." Running feet and barked commands could be heard outside. "Talk at home?"

"Yeah, see you." A final squeeze and a flash of light and the older man slid out the door and up out of sight. It was easier if just Ed was there; he as a State Alchemist after all and would be expected to show. The blond held his daughter's hand they walked out and waved the soldiers in to gather the men.

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"Ok, baby, let's get going. Envy's waiting and you know how patient he is." They grinned at each other and he hugged her tightly. The walk home was short and the door flew open as they approached the house.

"Where the hell have you been? It's been almost eight hours! You little idiot, did it occur to you that I might have better things to do than wait for you?" He glared at his blond partner and clung to their daughter, running his fingers through her hair.

She grinned at him. "Hi, Envy. Ed took me to the parliament introductions! It was really interesting and fun to see Roy announce he was running." Violet looked down at her in disbelief. "It really was!" She glowed at him and he blinked and transferred his attention to the older alchemist, who shrugged.

"Come on, it's cold out here. It really wasn't that interesting, but I did say I was going." Slim fingers were grabbed and he dragged his red-headed daughter inside, bringing his lover as an accessory. "I'm starved."

A loud snort from behind him. "Well, I did make supper, but someone didn't come home in time to eat it, so now it's cold." Ed turned in surprise.

"You made supper? Thank you." He leaned up on his tiptoes to kiss his blushing partner. "I didn't realize or we would have come home sooner." Slightly mollified, the oldest wandered away to set the table and reheat food. The blond dropped a wink at his daughter. "That, my dear, is how you get yourself out of trouble."

"I can hear you, Idiot." Cat laughed when her father flinched and undressed in silence, cheeks red. "Come on, let's eat. You, missy, have homework."

"What? No, Daddy! I was kidnapped! I need a break." Mittened hands clasped together and she dragged out her best 'I'm cute and sweet' look.

Dark hair turned to face her. "Oh? Alright, you can eat and go straight to bed then." At her horrified look he grinned. "Or, you can do your homework and stay up with us."

A full pout curved the adorable face and both men laughed. "You're so mean!"

A slim finger tapped her nose. "Yep. Just think, you make me nice. Imagine what I was like before." Slender arms wrapped around her and Ed joined them.

"We were really worried, baby. I almost had a panic attack and Envy's hair was actually messy. He was more upset than when you were born." He grinned at his partner's blush and Cat stared up in amazement. "We love you so much, we couldn't function without you."

"But, you have each other." They both looked down at her. Ed moved first, squishing her between them fiercely, hugging as tightly as he could.

"Baby, you don't think we could survive without you, do you? Have we been ignoring you?" Bright hair shook quickly. "Because you are everything. I'm sorry if we don't say it enough. You hold us together and neither of us could live without you." Envy just curled around them, holding tightly.

"Come on, Cat-cat, sit down. You haven't eaten all day, have you?" She settled in and let him fuss a bit, setting dishes in front of her and insisting she eat more. Nothing was mentioned about the lunch Heymans brought her, or the supper Vato made sure she had. Everything was eaten and Ed smiled and winked for her when their housemate's back was turned.

"Hey, Daddy?" They both looked up. "Envy. Will I ever be as strong as you?"

A bright smirk and he shook his head. "First, no one is as strong as me. Second, you aren't the same as me. You're only half homunculus, and half this weak pipsqueak." His thumb jerked at Ed, who snorted at him.

"Oh." She thought in silence for a minute. "But, if I ate more stones, I'd be stronger." A logical leap.

Purple shifted rapidly, running through colors while they darted to his lover. "Sweetie, you don't want to do that." Ed folded his hands and fidgeted. "Guess it's time, huh?" A sad little smile tilted his lips and she looked between them in confusion. Dark hair tilted to the blond and he took a deep breath; best to be as blunt as possible. "Baby girl, the stones, well, they're made of people."

Her eyes began to shift as well and she shook her head. "That's impossible."

"No, sweetie, that's the truth. I've seen it happen. The red stones are made using alchemy to tie human souls in physical form." His fingers tangled and he shifted around, waiting for her reaction. Her eyes settled on a dark brown and stared at him blankly.

"I, I've been…eating souls?"

"Honey, you need them, it's not your fault. It's ok, you" The chair slammed into the wall when she stood and screamed at him.

"NO! It's not ok, how many people have died so I could, so I" A delicate hand covered her mouth and she took off, racing for the bathroom and they could hear her throwing up.

"Well, that could have gone better." The older man started clearing the table and putting food away.

"Damn it, Envy. You could have helped." Quick hands stilled and he looked sideways, brow arched.

"How? Until she calms down, there's nothing to say." He continued with his task, waving at his lover to bring the rest over and help. "She doesn't know how to purge herself, so she'll be fine. When she's done in there, I'll go talk to her." The pointed nose nuzzled the shell of a small ear. Even after thirty, Ed had never completely lost that delicate look. "You didn't do anything wrong. She's old enough to hear the truth, and you're always after me to answer questions for her."

"But, but, now she hates me and, and," He leaned back and let his partner cuddle him. "She's still my baby girl."

Soft kisses pressed to his forehead. "She doesn't hate you, Pest. You used to yell all the time and you don't hate me, right?" Gold bangs rubbed his chin. "She's growing up and has to face reality. We had to tell her eventually, if only so she would take them carefully." Bangs rubbed again and he was squeezed one last time. "Sounds like she's done. Finish up, k, Brat? I'll be in later." A final pat and he was gone, stalking through the house on silent feet.

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Poor Ed, it's crappy to have to tell people bad things. Even if they can't be helped. Thanks for reviewing, I appreciate your thoughts.


	19. Teen: fourteen pt3

Disclaimer: Do not own FMA or any rights to it.

Warnings: yaoi, mpreg, mentions of sex

Teen: 14 years old

"Cat-cat. Open the door." Her room door was locked and sealed.

"No. Go away." Her voice was slightly breathless from crying and he could hear the crinkle of papers. Probably writing again, a nervous habit she'd picked up from the Brat.

Another knock. "Open it, Cat-cat. Or I will break it down in ten seconds." No movement from inside. "One." Nothing. "Two." Still nothing and he started to explore the edges with his fingers, making certain they were completely sealed. "Three. Four." A shuffle from the bed and a small voice came to him.

"You won't."

A quick grin. "Five. When have I not done what I said I would? Six." Finally, soft steps snuck over to the door to listen to him. "Seven. Step back for the door if you aren't going to open it. Eight." He took a step back to give himself some room to move. "Nine. Hurry up, Missy, time's up. Ten." The door dissolved with a soft clap. "Thank you."

He slid in and she locked it again after looking for her blond father. "Where's Ed?"

"He's finishing dishes and cleaning up. Then, if you don't want to see him, he'll go to bed and cry like a baby because you hate him." A casual flop and he sprawled on the floor, stretching out on his stomach. "Well?"

She stepped over him and sat on the bed, sniffling a bit. "I don't hate him. I just, I, it's so" A few deep breaths and she was refocused. "Did he make them?"

A tiny snort of laughter turned to a full out roar. "Fuck no! I find ones that are already made and bring them back for us. He hates it, but he loves you too much to not give them to you." He rolled to look up at her. "Remember when you were little, and I was gone for so long?" A quick nod. "I was hunting for a source. I was back a month before I got to see you."

"Why didn't you come see me? I missed you a lot." She shuffled to the edge and leaned over to see him more clearly.

He looked up at her, eyes moving to violet. "Brat kicked me out." Her eyes got huge and she opened her mouth. That couldn't be right, they were so attached to each other, she sometimes thought they forgot about her. There was no doubt that they loved her, but a little guilty voice whispered occassionally that they didn't really need her, that they only needed each other. "Yep, he was so pissed I was giving you the stones, he sent me away. Wouldn't let me in the house and refused to let me see you. Almost made himself sick worrying over you. He finally let me back and we tried to not give them to you, but you got so sick, we had to." His legs tucked under him and he pushed himself to his feet. "We did try, Cat-cat. You might need them your entire life, and I'll supply them for you, ok? You'll never have to get your own." A faint smile. "I thought, maybe when you were older, you'd want to come with me, but I guess you're just too much like the Pest."

Her hands were suddenly very interesting. "I'm sorry, Envy. I can't, I don't want to take them anymore." A quick shrug and he settled on the bed next to her, ruffling her hair with a gentle hand.

"S'ok. I knew a long time ago you were his daughter more than mine. At least in personality." He shifted at her and she imitated him, the way she had when she was younger. "What do you want to do? If you get sick, you have to take them, but otherwise, we won't make you. You're old enough to know, so you're old enough to decide." She shuffled over to sit pressed against his side.

A soft sigh. "I really don't want to take them anymore. I, can I get rid of the ones in me now?"

"No. Keep these ones and when you start to need more, we'll try to wean you off of them." A slender finger tilted her head up to look at him. "I can't live without them, and I don't know if you can either. But we'll try, ok?" A quick smirk flashed. "Think of how happy Pest will be." She grinned back at him, her entire face lit up with enthusiasm. He took a second to admire how lovely she was before pushing her to her feet. "Better go see Brat if you're going to. Bet he's laying on the couch pouting."

A girly giggle had him rolling his eyes and she raced off, darting through the house to leap on her father, who was lying on the couch. Reading, not pouting. Even though he had been on the same page since he lay down. "Daddy!"

"Sweetheart. Are you not mad anymore?" He held tightly, squishing her against him. "I'm sorry, I didn't want to tell you. I didn't want to upset you."

"It's alright. Envy says I can try to stop taking them. I hope I can." She cuddled furiously, curling up on his stomach.

Gold moved to the door, where the older man stood. His head tilted and a metal hand reached out. It was taken and he drew his lover in to sit beside the couch. "If that's what you want, darling. But, if you get sick, you have to, ok?" He sighed and kissed her nose. "You're too important to take risks with. No matter what."

"Daddy? Would you make them?" A pink tongue flicked out and wet her lips and she watched nervously.

The muscles in his arm twitched and he shivered briefly, Envy's hand pressed to his side. "I, don't know baby girl. I hope I never have to decide that." She snuffled on his chest and tangled a hand in the long dark hair leaning against their sides.

She was silent for a long time and the blond was afraid he'd said the wrong thing. Finally, "Me too." His shoulders relaxed and he hummed at her until she fell asleep, soft snores blowing his bangs into his eyes.

The two of them were lifted and the blond clung to the smaller form until they reached her room. She was set lightly in bed and the two men slipped out silently, shutting the door behind them. Finally, finally, Ed let himself fall apart, dropping to his knees, deep gasps for air making him light-headed.

He was swung up into strong arms and carried to the bathroom, where a bath was started. Tears streamed down his face and he whispered to himself. "Could have lost her, could have, could have. My little girl, could have lost her. My fault, shouldn't have let her go alone, all my fault." His breath started to get shaky and he rocked steadily, ignoring the dark-haired man's attempts to get him undressed.

The clothes were finally ripped off with a snort and he was dumped into hot water. "Ah! Hot!" He scrambled to get out but was held in firmly. "Envy, I'll burn!"

"But you stopped spazzing." Cold water was added and the blond relaxed slowly. "She's fine, we're fine; everything is just fine." Tangled hair was released from its tie and smoothed out. "Just relax." Soothing hands rubbed through his hair, mixing soap in well before rinsing quickly. A soft cloth moved over his body, washing away the fear and panic induced sweat, the strain of the day, and drying tear tracks.

"Come in here, I hate baths by myself." An easy grin and he was joined, water sloshing over the sides. "Mmm, this is nice." He snuggled on the pale chest, flattening himself out along the smooth lines. "I'm so tired. Didn't get any work done today either."

"So? Stay home with us tomorrow. I'm keeping Cat-cat; she didn't do her homework again and I don't want to go listen to her teacher nag about her hair either." His hands ran over the smooth back and rubbed along the auto-mail attachment.

Ed pushed up, leaning back far enough to look him in the eye. "You're spoiling her. Let her go in and do the make-up work. Not like she isn't smart enough; she'll be done in no time." A quick kiss. "And you don't have to go in every time; I can do it too." A teasing grin and he pushed further back to avoid the finger flicked at his nose. "I think you like it; pretty girls, pretty boys, and don't think I haven't seen Cat's teacher either."

"Are you accusing me of something? The guy who works at a factory for toned bodies?" Violet laughed down at him and he couldn't resist. A quick kiss turned into a slow play of tongues.

"Bed? If we're staying home, we can sleep in." He squeaked when they lifted out, water streaming off, and he was carried to be tossed on the bed. "Hey! The sheets will… mmm" Wet kisses and slick hands wandered. "Or we could change them tomorrow."

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Breakfast was late and slow, the three of them settled around the table snacking on toast and eggs. "Ed? I forgot to ask yesterday." Her hair was still red and she'd been toying with the ends, trying to decide what color to have it. Maybe blue today.

"Go ahead." Another piece of toast was stuffed in his mouth and he reached for the paper.

"Are you gay?" Immediate coughing from both men; crumbs sprayed over the paper and table cloth.

"What? What hell kind of question is that?" His eyes were wide from shock; that came out of nowhere.

A slim finger waved at him from across the table, shaking from laughter. "Don't swear now." The homunculus was growled at and he turned gold eyes to Cat.

"Why are you asking, sweetie?" His brows met in a small frown. "More importantly, why are you asking me? Why not him?"

"Well, Envy's both, right? So, he isn't gay." She watched with interest as his face turned bright red. "Do you like both? Cause we heard about that too." Laughter echoed in the room and the homunculus gasped for breath.

Blond bangs puffed at his partner. "Will you shut up!" The snickers didn't slow down and the blond put his head on the table and covered it with his arms. "Where exactly are you hearing these things, Cat?"

She blinked at him. "Sex Ed class. You signed the form, didn't you?" Silence. He peeked up and shook his head. Motion from the side drew his attention and he watched Envy try to slip away.

"Envy." The older man froze. "Did you sign my name again?" A faint shrug and wide smirk made him shake his head. "I'll deal with you later. Ok." His face felt like it would burst into flames at any moment. At thirty-four, he should be past this kind of thing. "Cat, I am not gay. I just like your father, however he is. I don't know what it makes me, but not gay." He glared at his grinning partner. "I would like to point out, I started seeing your father when he was girl, and I had a girlfriend before that too. You know, you could help out here." A pale brow rose at the brunette.

"Why? You're flailing rather desperately by yourself." Gold eyes narrowed and he laughed again. "Ok, ok. Brat isn't gay, he's bisexual." His teeth sharpened and purple glowed. "He's never had a problem with any form I've taken." Cat's eyes were huge and she glanced at the blond and blushed.

Puzzlement crossed Ed's face before he realized exactly what had just been said. "Wha… NO!" His chair toppled and he pointed at the older man. "You pervert! You aren't helping!" Howled laughter and he bolted around the table and pounced, fists flying in his embarrassment. They were caught and kissed, Envy rolling to put the smaller body on the bottom. "Come on, don't be like that." The desperate whisper and pleading eyes made him smile.

"But it's funny!" He dropped a kiss on the pert nose, which wrinkled like it always had. "Alright, alright." They got to their feet and slim arms wrapped around the sturdy body. "I'm just teasing, Cat-cat. Pest here is pretty picky about forms and what not. He's just embarrassed easily and shy about things like sex."

The blush started to fade and she watched them hug. "I was just curious. I'm sorry, Ed. I didn't know it bothered you so much."

A slightly pained smile crossed the blond's face and he patted the arms around his waist. "It's alright, baby. It doesn't, bother me, really. I'm just not used to talking about it, ok? You can ask anything; I'll always try to answer. But for now, can we talk about something else? Please?"

"Ok. Can we go to a movie today? There's a new one I want to see."

"And you want to go with us? Not your friends?" A bit of red rose in her cheeks. "Uh huh. It's that gory horror, isn't it? There is no way we're going to that." A sharp finger jabbed his side.

"Hey, I wanted to go to that one." Envy leaned over to look him in the eye. "I thought you said we were going?"

"Yeah, not with our fourteen year old daughter!" Disappointed pouts from both sides won him over. Sigh "Fine, we'll go. But" He pointed at the redhead. "Any nightmares and you get him up, got it?" An eager nod and he sighed again. "Alright, go do your homework. We'll leave when you're done. And have your hair a natural color today, please." She grinned and ran off for her room. "Damn it, you two are gonna get in trouble one of these days 'cause I'm so soft."

A quick squeeze and he was released. "Aww, it'll be fun. And she won't have any nightmares. It won't be that bad."

It was. Ed was feeling a bit queasy when they left, Cat was absolutely green, and Envy had a great time. Neither blond felt like eating and were more than happy to head straight home. Around midnight, the door cracked open and faint light outlined the bed. "Daddy?"

Ed rolled over and slammed an elbow into Envy's side. "Yeah, baby." Muttered cursing from the little redhead and she moved over, making a spot on her side.

"Had a nightmare." Gold rolled and he was pleased to be proven right. This was why he insisted on going to bed in pajamas.

"Yeah huh. Come on then. There's room." She bounced over and slid in, curling up and falling asleep in seconds.

"Pest?" A sleepy voice came from against his side.

"Yeah." His eyes were already closing and his voice was thick with sleep.

"Isn't she a bit old for this?" She still tucked the blankets around her and pulled her into her side.

"You insisted. It won't be that bad, I believe is what you said." He smiled down and kissed soft hair. "Probably won't happen again. She is getting a bit old for it, but just this once. Night." His hand landed on a rounded hip and he slipped under, nuzzling the smaller form gently.

"Yeah." She lay awake for a bit, listening to matching heartbeats and soft breathing. Yeah, just this once.

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There we are! Another chapter done. I don't know what has gotten into me lately, I can't write little chapters like I was. Oh well, hopefully the timeline doesn't get too messy. I've been thinking of this one for awhile now, so I wanted to get it down. Hope you enjoyed it! Thank you for reviewing, I wander over here and read them when I feel down, so it's very important for you to do it, k?


	20. Teen: fourteen pt4

Disclaimer: I do not own FMA or make any money.

Warnings: Mentions of sex, yaoi, sequel to mpreg

Teen: Fourteen

"Damn it!" A solid kick sent the door slamming shut. "Envy! Where are you?"

"Sleeping. Fuck off." The annoyed voice came from upstairs and the blond stomped up and jumped on his lover. "What part of 'sleeping' did you not understand?" He still rolled over and made a spot on the pillow.

Ed dragged him out of bed and dumped him on the floor. "Outside." Muffled groans and he was batted at before the homunculus tried to crawl back into bed. "Get up. You wanted to go to that stupid movie yesterday and it's your own fault you were up all night. Move it."

A faint snarl and violet eyes cracked open to look at him. "Up? Fine. If I kick your ass, can I go back to sleep?" A quick smirk and he followed his partner outside. "Why are we out here again?" He stretched and cracked his back, shifting a few times to relax his muscles and wake up.

"The little fucker won't tell us anything and those other idiots don't know anything. They'd have told us within an hour." Ah. That. He'd actually forgotten those interviews were scheduled for today.

"So, what? You came home to try and beat on me for some reason?" A bright grin and the blond attacked, fists flying. They moved in circles, pushing at each other while they talked.

"Kinda. I need to work off some stress and thought I'd come home for lunch." He ducked a flying leg. "And, I wanted to remind you I have a thing with Mustang this afternoon and tonight. I'll eat out and be home before eight. Can you pick Cat up?" He choked when a fist slammed into his chest and sent him stumbling backwards.

"Yeah, yeah, you said all that this morning. I'll get her, she has practice after school." He ducked a quick hand and swept his leg out to trip the blond, who jump and grazed his side. "What did they say so far?"

"Basically, they walked up behind her and drugged her fast, before she could get more than a couple hits off." He smiled smugly. "Our baby did good. One guy had cracked ribs and the others all had bruises other than what you gave them. They were still whining about it today."

"What a bunch of pansies. What'd they use on her?" The dark hair flew as he whirled but kept both feet on the ground; it was so unfair if he took to the air.

"Not sure yet, the big guys didn't know and the alchemist isn't talking. It's being analyzed now but it'll take time." A low grunt when he landed on his ass and was pinned, strong thighs under his arms and wrists captured above his head. His hair fanned around his neck and he panted up, flushed with exertion. "Thanks; feels good."

"Well? What are you gonna give me for my efforts on your behalf?" A slow grin and he licked a red cheek.

"No time right now; I have to go back. Later?" He beamed up. "Let's send Cat to a movie or something on the weekend. We'll have the house to ourselves." A deep sigh and he moved off, hopping to his feet and offering a hand up.

"All the things I do for you." Mismatched hands tangled in long hair and he was pulled down for a kiss.

"I'll make you lunch, ok? And I'll call Al and see if he and Winry want Cat to baby-sit. Bet they could use a break for the monsters." They had a pair of blond six year old twins, which Ed personally found rather terrifying, but Cat seemed to enjoy them. "Then, it'll be just us." His arms wrapped around the trim waist and he snuggled to the narrow back. "Been a while, hasn't it?" A short nod and he pressed a kiss to pale skin. "Tomorrow, ok? Promise. We'll be on our own if I have to pay Mustang to take her." An arched brow looked over a slim shoulder.

"Maybe not. As if that player is allowed anywhere near any daughter of mine. He'll teach her bad habits." A faint snort from behind him and dark hair was shifted around.

"Like he's the only one." The alchemist was snorted at and a firm hand slapped him on the ass.

"I only teach her valuable things. Just because you don't think it's necessary for her to know how to kill a guy out with one finger doesn't mean it isn't. Where's my lunch, I want to get back to bed."

A heavy sigh and the shorter man moved past him. "I still don't see why she needs fancy techniques; a solid knee and a strong elbow will take care of almost anything. She's more than good enough to take care of herself. I mean hell, she slowed those four down even drugged."

"Not good enough, she was still taken. Don't worry about it, she and I will do some extra work this evening. It won't be a problem again." Pointed teeth flashed and Ed cringed inside; he was so glad that particular grin almost never flashed at him anymore and he didn't even want to know what he would teach her.

"Sure, sure, just try not to practice on anyone, ok? Particularly me." The memory of when Envy taught Cat to hunt was still fairly fresh, even almost a decade later.

12Flashback34

"Hey, guys, I'm home!" Silence. Ed looked around and peeked into the living room before heading to the kitchen to check for a note. Nothing, just dishes from lunch and a few drawing papers scattered around.

He tidied up a bit then headed upstairs. The usual branch was checked, just in case and he stood thinking of where they could be. There was no sign of a struggle, which meant nothing too bad had happened, because Envy wouldn't give Cat up, no matter what. So, where were they?

A thought occurred to him and he leaned as far out as he could and peered up to the roof. Not there either. A scuff from behind him had him twirling, metal arm up. His head turned quickly, scanning the room. Gold eyes narrowed and he stalked to the door and peered out, checking behind it and under the bed.

Nothing. This was a bit creepy and probably just Envy screwing around. "Envy, get out here." He resisted the urge to tell him it wasn't funny, because then it would be, at least to that pain.

A few steps out the door and a small sound came to him. He turned again and went down, tumbling down the stairs, his arms around the solid weight that hit his chest. They rolled to a halt and a blade appeared at his throat.

"Oi, what'd I say about that?" White came into view, muscle bunching under pale skin as his lover crouched beside him. "Hey, Pest. You alive?" Ed tried to breath and groaned faintly.

"Sorry, Daddy." A swirl of dark hair framed pale skin and bright blue eyes. She watched him carefully, still perched on his chest. A weak hand pushed at her and Envy lifted her off and swung her into his arms.

Air rushed in and the blond gasped and felt his body throb from falling down the stairs. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Yeah, Daddy! What the hell are you doing?" Her blond father groaned; great, now he had to try to get her to stop saying it.

Pointed teeth grinned at him in triumph. "Cat-cat and I are hunting." He looked down at the little girl. "But, I said not to push him down the stairs, didn't I? You were supposed to take him in the bedroom. And no weapons."

"But, he heard me! I didn't mean to push him down the stairs. And I forgot no weapons." Bright eyes peered at the man on the floor. "Sorry."

The ceiling was still moving around fuzzily but the small alchemist sat up anyways, a hand on his head. "Sweetie, no more hunting inside, ok? Envy, we'll talk later." He blinked at them and decided lying down would be a really good thing. The evening was spent semi-conscious with a mild concussion and blankets wrapped around him on the couch.

56End78

"Whatever." Lunch was simple, peanut butter sandwiches and leftover soup. A quick kiss and Ed was off again, to a round of meetings and pretending to be interested in a bunch of old men nagging about how great they are.

His brunette lover watched him walk away, a large grin on his face. The shift only took a second and the neighbor waved to Ed for the second time in five minutes.

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"Where's the file?" The three young men snapped to attention.

"Major Elric, sir! We weren't aware you were coming back today." Gold assessed them coldly.

"Well, I have. Where is the file? And get that prisoner in there." A full folder was passed over and two ran off, coding through the doors. The blond watched idly, memorizing the code in case he needed it some day.

The young skinny blond left behind fidgeted nervously. "Remind me of the recording features here." The Major began examining the room they looked into; white walls, a table and three chairs. The lighting was dim but would serve to his benefit.

"Sir! There's a recorder inside and cameras in three locations. The door locks automatically and can be opened by code or from the outside. There are to be two officers present during interrogation, sir." A brief nod and he turned in relief when the door opened in the white room. "Sir, they're ready."

"Excellent. Follow me." Long hair swung as he marched into the room and sat, facing the skinny alchemist. "Undo his hands."

"Sir, that is not" A glare shut the young man up and he froze at attention, uncertain of what to do.

"Are you suggesting I am not capable of making that decision." The salute remained, crisp and steady, eyes staring straight ahead. "Undo his hands."

"Sir, yes, sir." The alchemist rubbed his wrists and looked around the room.

"Now what? I have nothing to say to you, I already told you that." He slouched back in his chair and stared at he blond officer.

A bright grin spread over his questioner's face. "Hello, little alchemist. You want to tell me all about this, don't you?" Panic set in immediately and the skinny man leapt to his feet.

The blond solider pounced and forced him back down, hands on his shoulders. "It, it's, it's YOU! Keep it away, don't come near me! It's a monster!" He struggled furiously while the blond officer sat back and watched him, not making a move towards him.

Finally, the cuffs were reapplied and linked to the table, the brunette still fighting and crying. "Now, now, all you have to do is tell me. Where did you get the array? Who designed it for you? What type of elixir did you use? Who gave you the information about the girl?" Questions were snapped out and dark eyes stared back, whimpers overridden by the harsh inquiries.

"Don't hurt me, don't hurt me! I'll tell you, just don't let him get me!" He babbled for an hour, giving names, locations, contact dates and times, everything.

The main brains behind the entire operation was a politician Roy was running against. His information network had gotten a hold of some old notes from the military database storage facilities, identifying homunculi, their abilities, and the information that had been gathered. Envy was identified by a picture and the assumption was made that, as the Fullmetal Alchemist wasn't known to have a wife, the child must be theirs.

The array was from an ancient translated text from Ishbal and the short blond nodded and passed paper over for the design to be drawn. The drug used was a sedative designed for imprisoned alchemists, to keep them from using alchemy to escape. All in all, it had been a fairly well thought out plan, except for their victim.

"Excellent. Thank you for your cooperation. Private, go over everything again, make sure al the details are there and in order." Another wide smile and the brunette cowered. "Call me if there are any problems."

"Yes, Sir!" Edward let himself out and had copies of his notes made. The folder was tucked under this arm and he left, stopping at the bathroom. A delicate brunette slipped out, ignoring the staring from a pair of men on their way in. Her hair tossed and she continued on her way, flirting with the man at the gate. She was barely out of sight when her lover walked by, laughing with Jean.

"Let's stop in and see how they're doing. Maybe they got him to talk." The ever-present cigarette bobbed and dark blond hair nodded in agreement.

"Hey guys, any progress?" Two young men snapped off salutes. "Aw, come on, I told ya not to do that." They exchanged looks, confusion clear.

"But, sir, you were just here. Did you forget something?" The taller spoke, still standing straight. "We're almost done, sir. Just a few more minutes."

"Good, what did he have to say?" A pause. "Wait, I was just here?" He looked at his friend, who shrugged at him.

"Yes, sir. Amazing, if I may say so. You just walked in, sat down, said hello and he started talking, can't shut him up really. We have a copy of your notes here and you took one with you, sir." The papers were held out and Ed snatched them away to examine.

"Fuck." Both Privates snapped to attention, just in case. "At ease. Havoc, I have to go. Can you make sure these guys are alright and tell the General I won't be able to make our meeting? I'll call and reschedule."

A large hand scratched the back of the short blond hair. "Sure Boss. Is there a problem?"

"I got it, thanks." A small tilt of the lips. "Nothing I can't handle." He turned to go, then remembered he was holding the notes. "Can I get a copy of these, please?" The shorter Private ran off to get it and was back in minutes. "Thank you. Oh, Havoc, can you tell Colonel Hawkeye I'll be putting in a request for tomorrow and Saturday off? I forgot earlier."

Blond brows arched. "Got a hot date?"

"Better believe it. Hottest little thing in Central." A cocky grin and wave before the blond turned the corner.

The Privates blinked after him. "He better be careful, saying things like that when General Mustang is in town."

Long arms draped over their shoulders. "Let me tell you a little story about the time the General got his ass kicked by the tiniest little redhead ever to set foot in the city. She's even shorter than Major Elric, with a worse temper, but the curves make up for it all."

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"Envy! Where are you?" Heavy steps stormed through the house. The first stop had been the living room, where the couch was vacant and he was currently on his way upstairs. A pale dart hit him three steps up and they tumbled down, a firm hand behind his head keeping it form hitting the floor.

"Hi!" Ed blinked, opened his mouth, closed it, blinked again and considered.

"Hello." A brilliant grin beamed at him. The blond licked his lips. "Um, who are you? Where's Envy?" Because Envy did not greet him with hugs and hi's.

"Now what kind of question is that? I do something nice for you and you act like a prick." Firm thighs rested against this sides and he stared up as forms shifted easily, coming to a halt on his brunette officer.

"Uh, yeah. I heard about that. What were you doing? What did you do?" Mismatched hands pushed gently and the heavy body shifted back enough for him to sit up. He propped himself up on his elbows and waited curiously.

"Nothing." An evil smirk told the lie for what it was. "I just sat down, said hello, and he panicked, told us everything. And I just wanted to. It does get boring here all the time, you know. Not all of us thrive on sleeping all day." He conveniently ignored the fact that he had been doing just that.

A metal hand patted blue trousers. "Well, thank you, I'm glad you got him to talk, without doing anything I'll get hit with later. But, I do wish you'd at least tell me so I don't walk in right after you leave and look like an idiot." Broad shoulders shrugged at him. "Want to go out? Al's taking his to supper, he won't mind one more." Dark eyes blinked at him.

"Right now?" Dark blond nodded and he grinned, shifting a few times, trying to decide on a form. "Where?"

"Weeellll, I was thinking Haft's, Mustang has to work late, so I can use his reservation. What do you say?" His hand flattened over the wide chest and slid over a flat stomach. "Shall we go for supper? Get some of that ice cream you like so much?" The larger body above him wriggled like a puppy, thrilled with an unexpected treat.

A true smile, with even teeth and pleased eyes made the entire effort worthwhile. "Ok, yes." He rolled off and stood, leaning over to offer a hand up. "Go change and I'll call your brother."

"No, I'll call him. It'll just take a second and he'll be more likely to go along with it. Should I ask him to keep her for the night?" A soft growl and the blond found himself surrounded by pale skin and dark hair.

"Unless you want her to be scarred forever." Sharp teeth teased his ear and nipped down his throat. An easy smile and he made the call, arranging for a three day sleepover.

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So, I just had this little idea to finish off the arc I have going. I highly recommend reading Scattered, which will become a pre-Shuffled collection, random stories of Ed and Envy dating. There is no kind of time for updates, as I think of them really. And just so everyone is clear, the original interview is Envy, as Edward, then Ed wanders in on his own.


	21. Teen: fifteenalmost sixteen

All done. A really long chapter this time, but I didn't want to cut it up like usual. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Not owned by me. Well, Cat is, I guess, but I'm a bit too scared of trying to steal her from Ed.

Warning: yaoi, sequel to mpreg, snuggling

Teenager: almost sixteen

"Cat, Envy, someone get the door!" No thud of steps and the doorbell rang again; Ed swore under his breath and juggled bowls and cutlery to the table, leaving them stacked in the center. 'Brats, where did they go?'

"Coming!" The door opened and a redheaded boy blinked down at him, pink in his cheeks and tugging a bit uncomfortably on his shirt collar. "Yes?"

"Ah, I, I'm Cory." He blushed darker when Ed cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Congratulations. Can I help you, Cory?" The blond leaned in the doorway and let him fidget.

"Is, is Catherine ready?" A brief frown from the girl's father. "I, I'm a bit early but I thought, um, better than being late, right?" A nervous grin faded under Ed's glare.

"And where do you think you're taking my daughter?"

Before he could answer, the back door slammed and running steps bounced down the hallway, preceded by laughter and squeals of protest. "Envy, stop it! I have to go clean up and" The pair skidded around the corner, the blond girl in a headlock, and froze, staring at their guest. "Cory! You're early!" Her face went as red as his and she pushed away from her brunette father.

"More importantly, young lady, where do you think you're going?" A socked foot tapped and the blond alchemist folded his arms in front of him.

"Oh Daddy, I TOLD you I was going out tonight." She hauled out the cute look; big eyes, a bit of flutter, the tiniest pout. She also moved back towards Envy, seeking support from that side.

The black sock tapped a few times more, then stopped. "Yes, you did. You said you were going out to a movie with a friend." Envy wandered over and leaned on his lover, long hair falling over his shoulder. "THAT doesn't look like a friend to me."

"Hey, Brat, let her go." Cat grinned at him and he smirked back. "After all, the way I worked her, she'll be lucky he even wants to sit in the same row as her." A choked gasp and her face flamed; her mouth worked, she glanced at her embarrassed date, then bolted for the stairs.

Ed blinked slowly, annoyance forgotten for the moment. "En, that was a bit mean." Slim shoulders shrugged against his and a quick kiss was pressed to his neck. Light shuffling reminded him of the boy in the doorway and he blushed a bit. "Well, might as well come in and sit. Have you eaten?"

"Ye, yes sir." Shoes were toed off hesitantly and he followed the pair into the kitchen, glancing between them. "Um, is Cat allowed to come out?"

"Maybe." A glass of juice was set in front of the redhead and he took a tiny sip. "I'm going to talk to her for a minute, you two be nice." A pointed look was shot at Envy, who grinned his 'who, me?' smile.

Ed knocked on the shut door and listened to the muffled sniffs from inside. "Sweetie, can I come in?" She didn't say no so he assumed he could; damp eyes were wiped on the cover and a comb and ties were beside her. As soon as he sat down she flopped over his lap and he started to brush her hair for her.

"I can't believe Daddy said that."

"Well, it was a bit uncalled for, but fibbing about where you're going and with whom is unacceptable." An embarrassed sniff accompanied fidgeting fingers. "Honey, why didn't you say anything about going out with this guy?"

"Be, because, you guys would get all over protective and grill him right back to the day he was born." The blond man's lips tilted; that was exactly what was happening downstairs right now. "But it doesn't matter now. He won't want to go out with me." Another sniffle. "Nobody wants to date a tomboy."

"Well, that's not quite true. I like tomboys, Al likes tomboys, lots of guys like tomboys." Fine strands were separated and a partial braid was put in place before he tied it off halfway down.

A loud snort and she peered over her shoulder. "That's an Elric thing. It doesn't count for normal people." Her lips twitched and she gave in to grin at him.

Mismatched hands flexed and tickled her sides briefly. "I'll have you know, Elrics are perfectly normal. And Roy likes tomboys." A raised brow. "Just because he's too much of a coward to ask Riza to marry him doesn't mean he doesn't like her. Still, it's a moot point because you aren't a tomboy."

"But now Cory thinks I am! He probably left already anyways." She started to pick at her nails and her father grabbed her hands, kissing them quickly.

"Nope, still there. I left Envy in charge of him, he couldn't escape if he wanted to." He tilted her chin with a metal finger. "I'm not very pleased you didn't tell me though." The protest was cut off with cool metal brushing her lips. "I'll still let you go, but you're curfew is cut. Ten o'clock, you are in this house, understand? We'll discuss the rules for dating later."

Green eyes widened and changed rapidly before she threw her arms around him. "Thank you, Daddy!" A quick hug back and he was shoved out so she could find something to wear. Gold rolled on the way back down the stairs and he stopped to watch Envy torment the boy.

The homunculus was leaning over the back of the redhead's chair, whispering in his ear. "Envy." Dark hair moved enough for a pointed grin to peek through. "Leave the boy alone. Cat's changing, she'll just be a few minutes." Cory was looking extremely pale and the light brown eyes were wide, staring in fear at the slender man.

Ed walked forward and patted the carefully combed hair lightly, nudging Envy away with his hip. "Her curfew is ten, no exceptions, no excuses. If something completely unavoidable happens, call us and we'll come get you." Big eyes looked up at him, a bit more calm, less afraid, and he added a bit of pressure. "If you upset my baby, I will break every bone in your body individually, right before I start pulling every tooth in your little head. Is that understood?"

He thought the boy would choke he swallowed so hard. "Yes, sir."

"Excellent." Steps on the stairs and he released his captive. "Honey, you look lovely."

Pink flushed her cheeks and she smiled at him, glancing at her date curiously; he looked a bit ill, pale and sweating. "Are you ready? Sorry I took so long." He stammered that it wasn't a big deal and they said goodbye.

Ed grabbed her at the door and whispered quietly. "Cat, anything happens, even the tiniest little thing, you call us, ok? We'll come for you."

"Yes, Daddy." She grinned at him and he dropped a kiss on her forehead; she glowed with happiness and he wondered briefly if he'd looked like that when he started dating Envy. Quick waves and they were gone, the blond tugging the redhead's hand.

"Damn, bet we looked just like that." Slender arms folded over wide shoulders and a soft kiss was pressed to Ed's cheek. "Want me to follow her?"

Full lips tugged up and the smaller man turned to wrap his arms around the small waist. "Naw, she can take him." Mischief flashed in amber and was reflected by purple. "Tell me all about little mister Cory."

"What makes you think I know anything?" A blond brow rose and strong fingers dug into smooth sides.

"You had over ten minutes with him and got to the threatening stage. What did you find out about him, starting with parents, age, and favorite color." Violet gleamed and the blond squeezed more tightly. "Come on, or no supper. It's good, I brought it home from work."

"As if I'd trade anything, never mind valuable information for that slop. You should have just cooked." The brunette smirked down, mocking his lover lightly.

A solid foot stepped on his bare one. "Better watch it, gonna be sleeping on the couch. And, just for your information, I stopped at Shelly's and got fish." His lover perked up. "Yeah, thought that'd get your attention."

"Meh, alright. Sixteen, parents are Jaimie and Fran Grendle, favorite food is, believe it or not, broccoli, and favorite color is orange. Single child, no trouble with the police, decent grades, interested in sports and chemistry. He's in the class beside Cat-cat's, plays soccer with her."

"I don't remember a redhead on the team." And Ed had been to almost every game.

Envy smirked at him and squeezed. "Remember the kid with bright blue and green hair?" The blond started in his arms. "Yep, that's him. Goes by Gren most of the time; you remember his mother, I'm sure."

Ed's head hit the slim chest and he groaned into white skin; now he knew where the ring of familiarity had come from. "Not her." He was still locked in a game of one-upmanship with that woman, who firmly believed men had no business raising girls and was quite vocal about it. They'd had competitions over who baked better, who made it to more games, who volunteered more at the school, and anything and everything they came into contact over.

Envy thought it was hilarious and encouraged them both from the sidelines where he got to be the judge of a variety of contests, including baking. Jaimie usually joined him and they got along tolerably, united as spectators. Both kids ran as soon as they saw each other, escaping before they were dragged in.

The most recent altercation came when Fran called Cat an uncouth hooligan for kicking that defenseman. Ed maintained he deserved it for getting in her way and retaliated with a few choice comments on image and decorum when her son showed up for practice with a black eye. They still weren't speaking.

A change of topic was in order and Ed pounced on an easy one. "So, when do you think they'll be back?"

Snorted laughter ruffled his bangs. "Nine, no later. He won't take the chance of anything happening." A friendly bump of hips pressed something hard to Ed's stomach and he pushed back a bit.

"What is that?"

"Eighteen years and you can't tell?" Both brows almost touched the dark hairline in mockery and Ed snorted and slid his hand down to check.

"Idiot. This," He dragged a folded spoon from the waist band of the tight leather; it was just a little ball of metal but had obviously been one of his kitchen spoons. "Is more than you just being happy to see me. What did you do?"

Pale shoulders shrugged playfully. "Just pointing out to our young suitor that I can, and will, crush him in an instant if Cat-cat even thinks about crying." He ignored the laughter against his chest in favor of groping. "So, we have a few hours, whatever should we do?"

"Hmm, supper? And, I've got a new book somewhere, I'm sure." A quick wink and he ducked under hugging arms and darted towards the kitchen, letting his partner chase him a bit. "Or I'm sure there's something we could do to amuse ourselves, all alone at home." A faint growl and they were off, racing through the house to have the blond captured in the backyard and carried in over a pale shoulder. He could barely speak through laughing. "Hey, supper!"

"Nope, too late. If you beg VERY nicely, you can have some in an hour or two." A groan and the smaller body went limp in defeat.

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"Hey, what time is it?" There was a faint grunt from his left but no movement. "Come on, get up, it's getting dark. Shouldn't Cat be home by now?" Pale skin flashed in a careless wave.

"She's outside, has been for a while. They still have," A moment of silence and dark hair cocked. "Three minutes. Leave them be, she'll be fi That little fucker!" The slim body jolted upright and bolted to the window. "You little bastard!"

Ed scrambled after him and clung, digging his heels into the floor to keep his lover from going out the window. "En! What?"

"He groped her!" Ed almost let go in shock. "You better run, you little shit!"

Cat's humiliated voice carried up to them. "Daaaa-ddeeeeeeeeeeee!"

"Daddy! I can't believe you were listening!" The back door slammed and their daughter stomped up the stairs. "And yelling out the window, he'll never ask me out again and I bet everyone on the block heard you!"

"Good! Nobody gropes my daughter!" A slim finger pointed dramatically. "And you are late!"

Ed stood between them and tried not to cringe; hair and eyes were shifting on both sides. "It's fine, Cat, just go to bed, ok? En, come on." Sad when he had to be the rational one, even dressed in just his boxers.

He was ignored while his housemates sparked at each other, energy almost visible between them. "I can't believe how you try to humiliate me all the time."

"Ha! I haven't even started little girl! You're just being a brat 'cause your snotty little boyfriend can't take it like a man." That infamous catty smirk and Ed covered his eyes in defeat; once that came out, there was nothing to do but wait it out.

Unfortunately, their girl was too worked up to remember. "Fuck you, Envy. You and your stupid rules. I hate you!"

"Catherine!" Ed's voice was drowned out by Envy's snarl.

"Bitch." Rage glowed and they darted forward, Envy fazing to a larger form while Cat clapped her hands.

The blond alchemist brought his arms up and yelled for them to cut it out. Not that he thought they'd truly hurt each other, but some things can't be forgiven. Envy's arm caught him across the metal arm at the same time as Cat's foot slammed into the flesh; he flew back to slam into the wall, head snapping back on impact.

Both homunculi froze at the crack, staring at the small form on the floor. "Daddy?"

"Brat?" Nothing, not a sound or movement. "Pest?" Quick steps brought him to lift the heavy body and carry him to their room, whispering in the delicate ear.

Dazed eyes twitched before opening slowly. "En?" A sharp nose touched his and violet stared at him intently. "Not as used to that as I was a few years ago." He tried to smile but it wobbled at the edges and his lover flinched away a bit. "Hey, s'ok. Just gonna rest a bit, yeah? No fighting." Gold fluttered closed again and Envy glanced over his shoulder.

"Go to bed, Cat-cat."

"Envy? Is, is Ed ok?" Her voice quivered and he reached a hand out to draw her in.

A tight hug and he buried his nose in the soft hair, smelling the bit of perfume she'd put on earlier. "Yep, he'll be fine. Just hit his head."

"I'm sorry. I don't hate you." Long hair nodded over her shoulder. "Love you Envy."

"Love you Cat-cat." A little start and she hugged tightly; he almost never said it. Though she had vague memories of him telling her how much he loved her when she was small, as she'd gotten older, Ed said it and Envy nodded; that was just the way he was. "Go to bed."

"Ok. Night." A quick kiss to his cheek and she left slowly, peeking at Ed one last time.

Most of the night was spent chatting with Ed, waking him every once in a while, and napping at the edge of the bed. Finally, light started to slip in the window and Envy headed out, leaving a note on the table.

When Ed finally got up, Cat was sitting beside the bed, reading a textbook. "Hey Baby. What time is it?"

A quick glance up and her eyes shifted uneasily. "Just past noon. I made lunch, if you want some. It's just sandwiches and soup."

Her father smiled at her and scooted to the edge of the bed slowly, not moving too quickly to avoid the dizziness at the edge of his sight. His favorite robe was held out silently and they made their way downstairs to sit in the kitchen. "Where's Envy?"

Her eyes shifted away guiltily. "Dunno." The little piece of paper was shoved across the table.

Ed scanned it quickly. 'Out, back later.' He sighed and set it down. 'At least he's leaving notes now.' He helped himself to a taste of soup. "Thank you, it's very good." The brunette was waved into a seat beside him. "Did you apologize?" Dark hair nodded quickly. "Good. I'll talk to En when he comes home."

"He, is coming back, right? I, I mean, he felt really bad, about hitting you, and he was upset I said, what I said." Gold smiled at her and he set his spoon down.

"Sweetie, Envy has a really bad temper, always has. It's like Roy's fire; burns hot, fast, and, usually, disappears in seconds. He just tries really hard to keep it under control around you, because he loves you. He'll come back, because this is his home and we're here. If nothing else, you can always believe Envy will come back." Metal fingers closed around the delicate hand and squeezed gently. "And it's hardly the first time your father and I have gotten into physical fights, and they used to be a lot worse. So don't worry about it."

He reached over to flick her nose. "What you should be worried about is the new house rules. Specifically, you dating." A small 'oh' sound and she stared at the table. "Lying is not allowed, you know that, so Envy and I will decide on something later. If you want to date, that's fine, but you have to follow some basic rules." Dark hair nodded. "You bring anyone you want to go out with home; if you don't think we'll allow you to go with him, you probably shouldn't be dating him in the first place. You tell us where you are going and when you'll be back. Be back on time or call." She still hadn't looked up. "Honey, I know you can take care of yourself, but we worry anyway. It's what parents do."

A bright smile from his girl and he marveled at how very beautiful she was. "I know. I'm glad you worry. Can I have an extended curfew for dates?"

He marveled at how aware of her beauty she was. "You, missy, are much too much like him. No, your curfew is limited on date nights until we feel it can be extended. We trust you to behave and be honest with us until that time." And he'd have Envy keep an extra close eye on her for a bit, just in case it was too much of a temptation.

Light pouting was ignored and he shuffled back to bed, taking his bottle of painkillers with him. "Send Envy up when he gets in, please. Thanks Baby."

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Supper rolled around and Ed showered quick and stretched out, running through a set of light exercises with Cat in the dusky evening. Envy still hadn't shown up and he was trying to decide if he should go out and look for him. 'He's only been gone a day, give him some space!' Some days, he felt like a mother hen, frantically chasing her wayward chick.

Cat went to bed slowly, casting worried glances at him even when he smiled and waved her on. His own bed was cold and strangely huge; he rolled thrice from edge to edge, trying to find a comfortable place. Fidgeting kept him up most of the night, until pink edged his window and his eyes faded closed.

Sunday was the same, long and slow. Homework was finished and a bit of research written out for work, then a long sparing match left them both panting in the grass. "How have you been feeling lately, Cat?" Sometimes he forgot to ask how her body was adjusting; only a year and a half since she backed off taking the red stones.

"Hmm? Oh, good. I feel fine, down to about half of one. Envy ground one up for me so I can take the powder if I need it." Blond nodded at her and she smiled back. "It's good, Ed, everything is fine."

"Ok. Don't look at me like that, it's my right to fuss." Sweat damp bangs were shoved out of his face and he pushed to his feet. "Come on, let's make something decent for supper."

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Cat brought home a form that requested a teacher/parent conference and Ed looked at it as if it would bite. "So, what am I supposed to do?" Envy handled almost everything to do with the school and Ed showed up as moral support. And to compete with Fran Grendle, but that was another issue.

"Ed, you just go talk to him, about school and how I'm doing." Her bag was tossed carelessly on the floor and he picked it up, hanging it neatly beside her coat.

"You are doing fine though, aren't you?" Last he'd checked, her marks were good and she was active in a variety of after school clubs and teams. Big eyes rolled at him. "Fine, fine, I'll go in tomorrow. Ok?"

A faint huff and the redhead wandered off to read her latest book. Ed sighed and fidgeted with the paper for a second before fixing supper and finishing his work. Three days and no sign of his brunette and he was starting to get a bit concerned; Envy could take care of himself, of course, but maybe looking for him would be alright. 'Tomorrow night.'

At least the conference was easy, let the young man tell him what a wonderful and smart daughter he had, go over a few choices for colleges and smile politely on the way out. The long way home took him by the park and he stopped to lean against a long familiar tree. "En, you here?" Not even a whisper of wind to ruffle the leaves. "Well, if you are, come on home, k? If not, then, I guess you won't hear me." Slow steps took him away, hoping to be called back.

His daughter was waiting for him when he got home and they sparred a bit, working off the extra energy from sitting all day. "Ed? Is Envy really coming back?"

"Of course he is. Why?" He blocked a high kick easily and spun into one of his own.

The smaller form bounced backwards and clapped, bringing a small wall between them that Ed scaled in seconds, letting it push him higher. "Just, Carrie's mom left last month and didn't come back."

Of course. That had been part of the local gossip but Ed never really listened all that closely. "Honey, Envy will come back, he just needs some time and space." A final jump and he pinned her to the ground; she struggled for a second then gave up and he pulled her to her feet. "You have to understand. Envy, En is old." Dark hair nodded. "Really old. And we're the first kind of family he's ever had. Sometimes, he doesn't know how to act and needs to be alone."

A casual hand ruffled her hair and she batted at it good-naturedly. "But you didn't have a family before either, and you never leave." Ed hid the slight frown and smiled, shaking his head.

"Not like you, but I always had Al, Teacher, Roy, Riza, and everyone else to look after me." He kept the fact that he'd love to be able to take off sometimes to himself. "We're both feeling our way along, doing our best."

Long hair shook at him. "You guys are weird." Ed's head tilted a bit. "If anyone else's partner just took off, they'd think they were gone. You just wait. Doesn't' it make you mad?"

"Sometimes. But you just have to believe in people on occasion. It's what you do when you love someone." Another soft smile and the flesh hand ran gently over her head. "Don't worry. If he isn't back by this evening, I'll go after him, ok? I talked to Jean this afternoon and he'll come keep you company if I do."

Violet eyes rolled at him in annoyance. "Ed, I'm not three."

"Still, you won't deny the man a chance to get his ass kicked at chess again, will you?" She'd surpassed both her fathers in a matter of days and Breda had a hard time beating her some days; Jean didn't have a hope.

Said hopeless blond knocked on the door at six thirty, dragging Cain along behind him. "Cain, one of these days you're gonna have to stop hanging out with this guy, get married, have a few kids." A small shrug and the brunette just smiled; being a bachelor wasn't so bad, and you always had time for yourself.

"Hey, screw you too buddy. We can just go home you know." Jean leaned on the door frame, unlit cigarette behind his ear.

"Huh, whatever. As if this isn't the highlight of your week. Cat's in the living room, working on her homework. I shouldn't be long." The officers glanced at each other. "What?"

"Ed, are you sure he's out there?" Cain wouldn't look at him, staring at the wall and Jean eyed the carpet.

Gold narrowed at them. "Of course I am. Don't meddle, you two. I'll be back before ten." He stalked off, shoulders tense and blue and brown eyes watched him leave. Lips tightened with doubt but they didn't try to stop him, just turning away to visit their spoiled girl.

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"En, enough. Come down." A faint rustle that might have been a breeze. "Alright, we'll do it your way. Paul James Elric, get your ass down here." He snagged the white hand that flashed towards him, letting the momentum push him to the side a little.

"Fuck off." Ed was lifted off the ground but clung, digging his auto-mail into the soft skin.

"No, come home. I'm tired of sleeping alone and Cat is having fits." A soft huff and he was lowered to the ground again. "Come on, we miss you." A firm tug brought long hair into sight. "What's wrong?"

Indistinct words were mumbled and the blond tugged again, pulling his lover down for a light kiss. "En, nothing can be so bad that you can't come home." More mumbling and the alchemist caught the word 'pissed.' "En, you don't think we're mad at you, do you? We're not, of course we're not." A finger stroked a pale cheek. "We love you, even when you lose your temper."

Pink shifted through high cheeks and the homunculus muttered a bit, but pressed light kisses to his blond's nose and mouth. "Fine, I'll come back."

Ed hid his smile carefully and reached up to let the slender body slide into his arms. "Good. I had to go by the school today. Listen to how great our girl is." Tight arms flexed around him and he buried his nose in the dark leather, breathing in the missed scent. "Set up some rules with Cat too, if she wants to date."

"Don't I get a say?" Long hair was silky soft against Ed's cheek and he nuzzled it happily.

"No, you weren't there. If you'd come back in a few hours like you usually do, you would have been." He could feel the scowl against his hair. "We'll talk about it when we get home. I think Cat should stay with Al this weekend."

The brunette slung an arm over wide shoulders and started walking towards their home. "Why?"

"You and I are having a discussion about taking off." A soft grunt when the slim arm tightened. "Yes, we are. But it can wait. I need to get some sleep for tomorrow. Some big press thingy. Mustang is on my case AGAIN, says he'll get a better position this year. Thinks I should take you with me."

Soft humming from his lover showed that he really couldn't care less and Ed shut up, happy to be walking along quietly. Cain greeted them at the door with a smile and waved them through to the living room, where their daughter taunted the blond officer with his sixth loss. "Hey, Cat-cat. Hear Pest had to go listen to your teacher bitch about you."

"Hmph. As if. I am the perfect student; brilliant, charming, active, aannndd vivacious." A toss of long blond hair made all four men grin at her.

"Do you even know what vivacious means?" Short nails were examined and a quick wink thrown at Ed from the corner of a violet eye.

Pink moved over her cheeks but she still cocked a hip and examined her nails, imitating her father's favorite move flawlessly. "I do now, thank you very much. And where were you? I had to make supper for three days you know."

The brunette gave in and wandered over to ruffle her hair, giving her a hug. "Didn't hurt you. I was out, had a few things to do."

Ed broke in. "Cat, time for bed. See you tomorrow." Faint mumbling but she hugged them both good night and waved to her babysitters, who waved back. "Thanks for coming by, guys. We appreciate it."

"Never a problem, Ed. Just give us a call." Havoc eyed Envy for a second before Cain pulled him away. Waves and goodbyes were exchanged and the officers took off, walking down the street towards Jean's place.

Envy leaned on his shoulder. "They were looking at me funny."

"Last I remember, Jean had a talk with you about abandoning me." Humming vibrated along his neck. "Yeah, I think they're a bit pissed with you. Not that you care." More humming and a little nibble and the blond grinned, running a hand through long dark hair. "Come to bed. And we have to figure out a suitable punishment for Cat, for fibbing."

"We could just ban her from dating, problem solved." Ed's shirt was undone and slipped off, light hands running over his sides.

"No, we can't. Dating is a vital part of young people's development and contributes to the formation of social skills vital in later life." And that was a direct quote from a book he'd checked at the library quickly on his way home from work.

"Bullshit." He could tell that new-age parenting crap when he heard it; an annoyed frown from his blond and a metal finger poked his side. "Fine. Dishes for a week." The lean line of tanned skin was too tempting and he nipped at the shoulder junction before moving up.

Ed tilted his head, eyes sliding closed. "And stay home from a game. There's one on Friday that's not too important." Agreement was muffled against his neck and he smiled. It may not be perfect, but he had his lover and he had his daughter, and life really didn't get much better.

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Another one finished. Took a really long time for some reason, but I'm glad it's done now. Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed and to everyone who reads. I hope you'll find time to review, even if you don't like it.


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